Dozens of faith leaders arrested in Washington protest against Trump immigration policies

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) – Dozens of faith leaders were arrested on Capitol Hill in Washington as they protested President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and called for curbs on funding for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, organizers said on Thursday.

“Today, powerful faith leaders took action in the halls of the U.S. Senate,” Faith in Action said in a statement. he said. It was also stated that ICE, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, was “terrorizing” communities.

Members of the organizing group sat on the floor of the Hart Senate Office Building and held signs reading “Do Justice, Love Kindness, Abolish ICE.”

A US Capitol Police spokesman said it was “unlawful” to demonstrate in congressional buildings and that 54 demonstrators were arrested.

Footage of the protest shows police making arrests as demonstrators sat on the ground singing, after officers warned them to leave.

Bishop Dwayne Royster, executive director of Faith ⁠in Action, was arrested along with more than 60 other faith leaders, the group said.

Protests against Trump’s immigration policies have broken out across the US after two American citizens were killed by federal immigration officers in Minnesota this month.

Protesters have demanded funding restrictions for ICE and accountability for its agents, while some have also called for the agency’s abolition.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Donna Bryson and Himani Sarkar)