Hero Democratic congressmen arrested protesting bigotry outside Trump Tower

Three Democratic congressmen were arrested outside Trump Tower Tuesday afternoon during a protest to demand action on protecting young undocumented immigrants from being deported.

Reps. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Luis Gutierrez of Illinois, and Adriano Espaillat of New York joined a group of demonstrators who sat down in the street outside Trump Tower and refused to move. They were later arrested for civil disobedience.

The demonstrators gathered outside Trump Tower to show their opposition to Donald Trump’s recent decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which shields young undocumented immigrants who entered the country as children from deportation. If Trump moves forward with rescinding DACA protections, deportations could begin within six months.

The congressmen are pushing for legislation that would protect DACA recipients, also known as DREAMers.

“We’re taking the necessary steps to make it clear to President Trump, the Republicans and the Democrats that we will continue this peaceful fight for DREAMers and immigrants as long as it takes to enact legislation and put DREAMers in a safe place,” Gutiérrez said in a statement.

“A few Congressmen and elected-officials gathering in front of Trump Tower doesn’t mean much if it is not backed up by the grassroots and allies and today we are standing with diverse allies to make sure Congress and the President do more than just talk about solutions, they actually follow through with action,” Gutiérrez added.

Tuesday’s protests are just the latest sign of how unpopular Trump’s DACA decision is. Surveys show that more than 7 in 10 Americans support allowing DACA recipients to remain permanently in the country, including a majority of Trump voters.

Democrats know how much is at stake with DACA — and they’re willing to take the fight straight to Trump’s doorstep.

“Since day one, the Trump Administration has threatened Latinos, Muslims, LGBT, women and the list continues,” Espaillat’s spokeswoman, Candace Randle Person, said in a statement. “His decision to end the DACA program earlier this month increased the urgency of what’s at stake and the lives at risk when we fail to speak out against racism in America.”