Nine protesters calling for immigrant rights were arrested Tuesday in Boca Raton.
They were rallying outside the headquarters of Geo Group, one of the largest operators of private, for-profit prisons and immigration detention centers in the country.
Protesters used cement and tar to barricade the entrances to the building.
“We are stopping all operations and we demand that Geo liberates all undocumented people in jail,” Flavia Franco, one of the activists at the protest, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel Tuesday.
Boca Raton police say eight protesters face charges of misdemeanor trespassing as well as violating a city ordinance related to blocking the entrances of the building.
One protester, Carlos Naranjo, was charged with violating another city ordinance against using a loud speaker to draw people to a building.
A @BocaPolice officer told organizer Carlos Naranjo Valerna he was in violation of a @CityBocaRaton city ordinance for using an amplifier to project their voice. Officers arrested him and siezed the amp as evidence. @SunSentinel pic.twitter.com/eZpZspTy2T
— Austen Erblat (@AustenErblat) December 3, 2019
The nine demonstrators were sent to Palm Beach County jail, according to Jessica Desir, Boca Raton Police spokesperson.
A Geo Group spokesman issued this statement: “The dishonest narrative and lies that are being spread about the services our company provides is based on the same false rhetoric that has led to the endangerment of our employees, of government employees, and the public. The safety of our employees is our top priority, and any violence, vandalism, or destruction of property at any of our facilities and offices will not be tolerated."
