Multiple people were arrested during a protest Thursday morning at one of the most iconic San Francisco spots – the Golden Gate Bridge – aiming to draw attention to the challenges facing undocumented people living in the United States.
The protesters stopped their cars just before 7 a.m. on the bridge and walked out, wielding signs and chanting, calling on Congress to provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, according to reporting by the San Francisco Chronicle.
The demonstration led to a traffic back up in the bridge’s northbound lanes.
Police said they arrested four of the protestors and towed five vehicles.
Demonstrators intended to stop morning commuters for 20 minutes to symbolize "20 years of failed promises," from the country's Democrats on immigration reform.
“We are escalating our actions and our undocumented families are risking arrest and possibly deportation to send the message we can no longer wait,” said DACA recipient, Luis Angel Reyes Savalza, himself an undocumented immigrant.
"We're working as quickly as possible with the California Highway Patrol to clear the lanes and get traffic moving again," said Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz, the Public Affairs Manager at the Golden Gate Bridge.
"Folks will be experiencing delays in both directions," he said.
After a little less than an hour, traffic began moving again. According to reporting by the paper, police let protestors go except for one person, who was detained.
The protest was organized by the Movement for Citizenship for All (Papeles Para Todos) and the Bay Area Coalition for Economic Justice and Citizenship for All.
Other issues the demonstrators wanted to draw attention to include climate change, racial justice, and a fairer economy.
Thursday's protest aimed to coincide with a possible vote in Congress on the budget reconciliation bill, demanding Democrats override the Senate parliamentarian who excluded immigration provisions from the $3.5 trillion bill.
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