15 Protestors Arrested in #OutragedAndUnafraid Sit-in at Texas State Capitol

By Kenrya Rankin Jul 26, 2017

As the Trump Administration repeatedly signals its commitment to expelling immigrants from the nation’s borders, a group of DREAMers from across the country assembled at the Texas State Capitol in Austin to renew their fight for permanent protection for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in America. Of particular concern among the young #OutragedAndUnafraid activists are threats to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

“With DACA under threat, we know that some will put their hope in D.C. politicians. But we also know that we won DACA not because of any politician, but because our community took fearless action. We marched, we walked-out, we stopped deportations and shut down detention centers. We took risks and put our bodies on the line to tell the people of this country that we were ‘undocumented, unafraid and unapologetic,’” Maria Fernanda Cabello, a DACA recipient and spokesperson for Cosecha, said in a statement posted following the arrests. “For the last 20 years, Republicans and Democrats have failed to deliver on promise after promise to the immigrant community. We will not put our trust in them. We are putting our faith in our people. Taking brave action has been the only thing that has never failed us.”

The Cosecha statement says that four DACA recipients and 11 allies were arrested while blocking traffic in front of the state capitol. Texas was targeted for the action because, as Politico reports, Texas attorney general Ken Paxton—whose office was the starting point of today’s action—is leading a group of ten states urging the Trump Administration to rescind the order that created DACA. Texas has also been in the news for passing SB4, which makes sanctuary cities illegal.

Watch the action below.