In New York City, seven people were arrested Friday after they disrupted traffic for more than an hour outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office. The action was held to protest the new round of raids against Central American families. The raids have targeted people who sought asylum in the United States after fleeing violence in their home countries. The activists locked themselves to each other using PVC pipes to block traffic, forcing the police to cut them out of the pipes with electric saws. Undocumented activist Yajaira Saavedra spoke during the protest.

Yajaira Saavedra: “My name is Yajaira Saavedra. I’m undocumented. I’m from Mexico. I crossed the border when I was four years old. I’m here because I believe every child that crosses a border should get political asylum. They shouldn’t be in detention centers; they should be in school trying to get an education, being able to have a better future. I want there to be less military invasions. I want to see NAFTA out of our community. The whole American military complex is what’s destroying countries like Mexico and causing people to flee across to the border, where all the resources are being brought.”