Multi-American ®

Photo by Corey Moore/KPCC

Undocumented students and their supporters protest in lobby of federal office building in Los Angeles, October 12, 2011

UPDATED: Five students were arrested altogether, and released later with citations. From the story this afternoon from KPCC’s Corey Moore:

Before those arrests, student protesters met with the acting chief counsel for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The protesters told ICE officials they want help in relaying their message to the president to stop the deportation of undocumented young people in California, who they say deserve to work and get an education.

An immigration lawyer who helped set up the meeting told me ICE authorities agreed to communicate with their superiors about the students’ demands. But the students refused to leave until they received a direct answer. That’s when LAPD officers arrested them for trespassing.

It’s not every day that protesters get an audience with the government officials whose policies they are protesting, but this is what happened this morning in Los Angeles after a group of undocumented student activists and their supporters rallied outside federal government offices at 300 N. Spring Street downtown. There was live video stream of the protest, which has led to some arrests, and the meeting was recorded. The footage is available here in several installments.

The rally was organized by students and other supporters of the federal Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act with the goal of urging the Obama administration to grant administrative relief to undocumented youths eligible for the legislation, which would grant conditional legal status to those brought here under age 16 if they attend college or join the military. Homeland Security officials have stated that such immigrants are a low priority for deportation, most recently when announcing new deportation guidelines, but many of these young people continue to move through the deportation pipeline.

After the some of the demonstrating students entered the building and camped out inside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office, federal officials came out to meet with them, taking notes as the demonstrators spoke and stating again that they were a low deportation priority. Also recorded and streamed live was the subsequent arrest of several activists, who remained seated on the floor after the meeting concluded.

A report from scene of the protest from KPCC’s Corey Moore is forthcoming.