Pro-immigrant Protesters Block Morning Traffic On George Washington Bridge

Pro-immigrant protesters briefly halted traffic during the morning rush on the George Washington Bridge on Wednesday. The protesters chained themselves together and blocked lanes on the busiest U.S. bridge between New Jersey and New York City.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said on the bridge’s upper level on the city-bound side, holdups were as long as 90 minutes.

Law enforcement authorities detained 10 protesters, Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman said.

Coleman said the protesters bore a sign that says, “Deport ICE,” which is an acronym for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,.

The immigration agency administers multitudes of deportations weekly. Under Democratic President Barack Obama, it has deported more than 2 million immigrants, more than under any past administration.

A group which calls itself the Laundry Workers Center acknowledged on its website that they helped organize the protesters. These were composed of immigrants and supporters.

Mahoma López, co-director of the Laundry Workers Center, said in a statement on the website that the immigrant community is tired of being in the shadows.

“For many years we are here, we contribute, we pay taxes, we build this country, but in the end, we don’t have the right to participate in the decisions at the local and national levels,” the statement said.

No one from the group could directly be reached for comment.

The Laundry Workers Center helps out laundry, warehouse and food service workers, according to the website,

Images on social media show protesters holding a sign that says, “Resist, organize, rise up!”

Coleman said they started blocking east-bound traffic at about 8:15 a.m. and were taken off from the roadway by 8:30. Nonetheless, all lanes were reopened by 8:50 and there were no property damage or injuries, he added.

People remembered, on social media, the “Bridgegate” lane closures in 2013 that happened in the same area. In that incident, two aides to New Jersey’s Republican governor Chris Christie were charged with ordering traffic holdup in retaliation for a mayor who had refused to support the governor’s reelection bid. Hence, the two are currently on trial in connection to the scandal.

 

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