Immigrants rights protesters march in downtown Phoenix

PHOENIX — More than 100 immigrant rights supporters marched on Monday to protest workplace raids conducted by the Maricopa Sheriff’s Office.

The protesters met at Steele Indian School Park at Indian School Road and Central Avenue. They plan to march downtown to Immigration and Customs Enforcement at Fifth and Van Buren streets and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office at Third Avenue and Jefferson Street.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s office has raided 70 businesses for identity theft and according to Carlos Garcia with the grassroots immigrants rights organization Puente Movement, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has prosecuted all the cases.

Families are being torn apart, said Garcia.

“One way to start is to have (Maricopa County Attorney) Bill Montgomery drop the charges against the people that have been stopped in the raids and the other way is for the Obama administration to just halt the deportations.

“The immigration reform conversations are moving forward.”