Congressman handcuffed by police after refusing to leave ICE office

[Rhiannon12866]

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) was handcuffed by federal police Monday after refusing to leave an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Chicago.

Gutierrez, a staunch advocate of immigration reform, was at a meeting between ICE officials and immigration lawyers, activists, community leaders and other elected officials, NBC Chicago reported.

“They were asking about specific cases and about the general conduct of ICE and deportations,” said Gutierrez's director of communications, Doug Rivlin.

Gutierrez refused to leave the office after the meeting and was briefly handcuffed.

“The congressman has decided that he did not get the answers he was looking for from the ICE regional director and he’s going to be staying inside until he gets answers, even if that means risking arrest,” said Rivlin, according to NBC.


More: http://thehill.com/latino/323748-congressman-handcuffed-by-police-after-refusing-to-leave-ice-office

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[sharedvalues]

1. Wow!! What a powerful statement.

A Congressman asking determined peaceful questions and getting cuffed?

Gutierrez is a man we should support.

If anyone here learns of future peaceful and law-abiding visits to ICE offices, please publicize them.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. And it's not like he isn't well known or that this wouldn't make the national news

I'm in New York and I recognized him immediately. And I agree, these photos are powerful and it's unbelievable that things have come to this!

[The Big Ragu]

3. Groups of people should swarm ICE offices?

and demand answers . . .

They can arrest tons of people, but they can't arrest everyone.

Or maybe they can.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. They had to know that handcuffing and threatening to arrest a congressman

Would generate national publicity!

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[tblue37]

9. It is for intimidation. If they can do this to a well-known congressman, then

ordinary citizens are supposed to be afraid to protest or ask questions.

ICE is full of power hungry bullies.

[Rhiannon12866]

13. Exactly. And they had to have known threatening a well known congressman - for asking questions

Would be publicized. It was meant to serve as a warning for anyone else - less well known - who might ask questions, let alone challenge their authority.

[mountain grammy]

5. Appears we have a ready made gestapo!

[Rhiannon12866]

6. That's a frightening, but very accurate comparison

[spanone]

7. donnie's little army

[Rhiannon12866]

8. And it's not like he's doing these things in secret, he loves any and all publicity!

As if handcuffing and threatening a well known congressman with arrest wouldn't get national attention!

[ProudLib72]

10. Looks like others have learned

from John Lewis.

[George II]

11. I want to see the spin on this - he wasn't a "terrorist" or even trespassing. So now..

...a member of Congress can't stay in the office of a Federal agency in his own jurisdiction? It wasn't like it was the end of the day and they were closing up, it was 11:10 in the morning!

This will do more good than harm overall.

[superpatriotman]

12. Funny how cops and soldiers always have work

Everywhere.