Dem lawmaker arrested in immigration protest at Senate office building

Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) was arrested Thursday at a mass protest against President Trump’s immigration policies.

Jayapal joined dozens of protesters on the floor of the Hart Senate Office Building for a sit-in as part of the #WomenDisobey protest.

The freshman lawmaker was arrested by Capitol Police.

“I’m proud to have been arrested with them to put myself in the camp of people who believe that the United States of America is better.” she said in a video posted on Twitter about the incident.

{mosads}

“They understand that this is far beyond politics. This is about right and wrong and we have to stand up, we have to put ourselves on the line,” Jayapal added.

Protest organizers estimated that 650 women were arrested in the Senate office building.

The protest was in response to the Trump administration’s family separation policy. Over 2,000 children were separated from families when caught crossing the souther border illegally. The policy sparked outrage from both parties and President Trump last week reversed his stance, signing an executive order ending the child separations.

But the broader so-called zero tolerance policy prosecuting adults who cross the border illegally is still in effect.

Officials are still not clear on when children separated will be reunited with their families or how families with children will be detained going forward.

Foil blankets are piling up as women are arrested here at the Senate. @RepJayapal joined us to demand an end to immigrant detention. Photo credit @KishaBari pic.twitter.com/bEe7pi4Z2U

— Women’s March (@womensmarch) June 28, 2018