US activists protest Trump immigration policies, 25 arrested
Police in New York City have arrested 25 people in the Trump Tower protesting US President Donald Trump’s controversial immigration and border policies.
The protesters sat in the lobby of the president’s signature property on Thursday and chanted “no ban, no raids, no wall.” Some wore T-shirts with the same slogans.
The demonstrators were arrested and carried to police vans after they refused to leave the building, police said.
“No wall,” is in reference to Trump’s proposal to build a wall on the southern border with Mexico and “No raids,” refers to US arrests of suspected undocumented immigrants. “No ban” refers to Trump’s blocked executive orders seeking to restrict immigration from several Muslim-majority countries.
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During the protest, heavily armed police blocked entrance to bulding, a commercial and residential skyscraper where first lady Melania Trump and son Barron Trump stay while the president stays in the White House in Washington.
The demonstration led security forces to close public accesses to the Trump Tower. The lobby of the skyscraper is open to the public, though security was increased during the 2016 presidential election campaign and after Trump was elected president.
The building is located in the heart of Manhattan and was also the headquarters of Trump’s election campaign and has been his primary residence for years.
Since his inauguration, Trump has faced nearly non-stop protests and rallies condemning his divisive rhetoric and controversial immigration policy.
Trump’s first month in office was dominated by a battle over his temporary travel ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries and harsh personal criticism of federal judges who blocked his immigration order.
Building a wall on the US-Mexico border to stop the influx of Hispanic migrants coming from Central America was a hallmark of Trump’s presidential campaign.
During his campaign, Trump characterized Mexican migrants living in the US as murderers and rapists and pledged to build a wall that he said Mexico would pay for.
