CHICAGO — Twelve people were arrested during an immigration protest outside Hilton Chicago, where President Barack Obama is scheduled to attend a fundraiser Wednesday evening.
About 50 people began protesting deportation policies just after 9 a.m. outside the hotel at 720 S. Michigan Ave., said Officer John Mirabelli, a police spokesman. Obama plans to attend a fundraiser for Democrats at 6:30 p.m.
Eight females and four males from the Immigration Youth Justice League were arrested after protesters lay in the street and linked their arms through plastic tubes, Mirabelli said. The police spokesman said he did not know their ages.
The 12 were charged with multiple misdemeanors, including reckless conduct, obstruction of a roadway and resisting arrest, according to Mirabelli.
According to the Immigration Youth Justice League's website, the 12 arrested are undocumented immigrants and their allies who were demanding that Obama stop deportations. The organization plans another rally at 4:30 p.m.
A separate protest is planned for the same time — against the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport crude oil from Canada and parts of the Midwest to other U.S. refineries. About 100 people from environmental organizations such as the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth and Chicago Youth Climate could attend that rally, according to a statement issued by organizers.
