8 Demonstrators Ordered To Appear In Court After ICE Protest
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4)- Eight demonstrators have been ordered to appear in court after blocking the entrance to Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in Arapahoe County.
The removal of the protesters on Thursday marked the end of a protest that lasted most of the week against the practice of separating children from their parents while illegally entering the United States at the border.
One person was arrested because they wouldn't provide identification and seven others were given citations.
Protestors linked together with PVC pipes on their arms blocked the entrance and exit to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Centennial.
One demonstrator, Emily Zeek, told CBS4, "I think what's horrific is what's going on at the border right now."
As the day wore on the patience of law enforcement officers wore thin.
Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office SWAT team members, and other agencies, lined up prepared to bring the blockage to an end.
They had to separate the demonstrators linked not just by their cause, but with their arms.
He told CBS4's Rick Sallinger, "It was really easy to claim passive resistance by sitting down. It halted operations for that day of the facility," said River, one of the protesters who was cited.
The protest, which spanned most of the week, came to an end with an exclamation point on both sides: the blockage by the demonstrators and the response from law enforcement.
"We've accomplished our goal but the fight is not over until these families are reunited and no longer detained," said protester Matthew Wozniak.
Those arrested and cited are scheduled to appear in federal court on minor charges of blocking a driveway. But in their minds they were blocking much more.
CBS4's Rick Sallinger is a Peabody award winning reporter who has been with the station more than two decades doing hard news and investigative reporting. Follow him on Twitter @ricksallinger.