Eight anti-deportation protesters held in Elizabeth

ELIZABETH — The police arrested eight people who had formed a human chain this morning in front of the Elizabeth Detention Center to protest the government’s deportation policies.
About 60 people chanted “not one more” and “education, not deportation” along industrial Evans Street, which houses the detention center, a nondescript beige one-story building operated by a private prison management company.
When the Elizabeth police arrived at 7.45 am, eight of the protesters had formed a human chain across the street, their arms connected inside red two-foot-long PVC pipes.
As snow began to accumulate on the immobile protesters, the police pleaded with them to get out of the street.
“I understand what you're doing and I sympathize with you,” a police lieutenant told the members of the chain. “You can protest as long as you like, but you can't block the street.”
“You know you’re going to jail, right?” said one Elizabeth police officer to a protester lying in the road. The protester responded by chanting more anti-deportation slogans.
Elizabeth firefighters had to be called in to use small buzz saws to cut through locks at either end of the chain, though the police were temporarily stymied when they realized most of the protesters were secured into the PVC pipes, either by plastic ties or ropes.
Authorities spent about 20 minutes sawing the pipes apart and arresting each of the eight members of the chain without any resistance. 
Around 8.45 am, the police loaded the eight snow-soaked protesters into a van and headed off to police headquarters.
A lieutenant at the scene said they would be charged with disorderly persons offenses.
“We had eight community members come out and literally lay their body down, because deportations are exceedingly high,” said Gabriela Benitez of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.
“While they play political football over immigration reforms, the reality is that over 1,100 people are deported every day, meaning 1,100 families are separated every day,” she said. “Just like (Obama) provided deferred action for childhood arrivals, he could provide that same deferred action to everybody while a solution comes in hand regarding immigration reform.”
Under President Obama, the immigration and customs enforcement department has deported nearly 2 million people, including a record-high 409,849 in 2012, according to the agency activist who said this year was no different.