100 immigration activists arrested in front of White House

Washington, Aug 29 (IANS/EFE) Police arrested more than 100 immigration reform activists Thursday in front of the White House as they demanded the relief for the country's 11 million undocumented foreigners, who are at risk of being deported.

The peaceful march began at the headquarters of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The executive director of the Casa Maryland organisation, an immigration advocacy-and-assistance organisation, Gustavo Torres, told Efe that the president "can and must" stop the deportations.

"We're asking Obama for fair and necessary relief for the immigrant communities in the country," Torres told a crowd of about 500 people.

Given the inability of lawmakers in Congress to agree on immigration reform, which has been blocked in the House of Representatives, immigrants have their hopes set on the president's ability to take executive action.

In June, Obama said that he would take an executive action before the summer.

"And it continues to be my belief that, if I can't see the congressional action, that I need to do at least what I can in order to make the system work better," Obama said at a White House press conference.

--IANS/EFE

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