12 protestors arrested outside ICE office on Congress

CHICAGO (STMW) - Twelve protesters were arrested Tuesday morning after a demonstration blocked traffic on Congress Parkway in the Loop just outside the regional office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The group, led by Organized Communities Against Deportations, is calling for an end to all immigration raids, according to a statement.

Activists sat on ladders held hands in the intersection near 101 W. Congress starting around 8 a.m. Tuesday, blocking inbound traffic.

CTA buses were operating with delays in the area due to the police activity, according to an alert from the transit agency.

“I am here to say that there needs to be an end to raids and deportations,” Francisco Canuto said in a statement from OCAD.

“Agents entered my home under false pretenses, they fingerprinted me and my roommates, and took me into detention. I spent 13 awful days in a detention center that I don’t wish on anyone,” Canuto said.