Dozens Arrested at Immigration Rally Outside Detention Facility

Chicago - Police clashed with demonstrators at an immigration rally in suburban Broadview on Tuesday  and dozens were arrested after they physically blocked authorities at an immigrant detention center.

Two dozen people were arrested during the protest, were brought to the Broadview police station and were released on the equivalent of a ticket for blocking the road.

The demonstrators say they had to resort to civil disobedience to bring attention to immigration reform.

Hundreds of protesters camped out overnight in front of a detention center where immigrants are processed before they are deported. Twice a week, flights depart for the Mexican border from O'Hare
International Airport.

They were calling on the president to end deportations and raids on communities.

When vehicles supposedly carrying deportees to O’Hare tried to leave the facility, two dozen protestors sat down in the road to block the deportations.

Police escorted them, one by one, to awaiting squad cars

Before being handcuffed, one woman said her action would protect families.

"I'm so sad, angry,” Olivia Segura said. “I have a right to be with family, Everyone has that right. It's a human right."

"We’ve been marching for years. We've been voting for year., It's time to do something different to get their attention," Laura Garza said.

Of those arrested, some were priests and civil leaders.

“I understand their plight, but we have a job to do,” Broadview Police Chief Ray Pelletier said. “I had an agreement with them. If they got arrested, they would come peacefully.”

The protests are partly in response to Arizona's new immigration law , set to take effect later this summer. It would let Arizona police question anyone about their immigration status and demand to see their paperwork if they think they're here illegally.