Woodbridge 'Dreamer' Arrested In D.C. Protest

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A Colonia man who is in the U.S. under previously-protected "Dreamer" status was arrested Thursday afternoon in Washington, D.C. while protesting the emergency spending bill. A Red Bank "Dreamer" was also arrested.

Piash Ahamed, 27, of Colonia was arrested alongside fellow New Jersey resident and "Dreamer," Osvaldo Rodriguez, 26, of Red Bank. A third Dreamer, Maria Concepcion Gomez Moran, was also arrested with them. All three were protesting with advocacy group the Seed Project against the emergency stop-gap federal spending bill, which was just approved Thursday night and will keep the government running through Dec. 22. The Seed Project wanted lawmakers to reject the emergency spending bill unless legislation is reached to save the "Dreamer," or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which Trump said he will eliminate this spring.

All three were each charged with crowding and obstructing after participating in sit-ins inside the Senate office building, according to a report in USA Today.

Ahamed was born in Bangladesh, but now lives in the Colonia section of Woodbridge without legal status after Trump took away DACA protection. He said:

“The end of DACA puts me, my family and 800,000 Dreamers at risk of deportation. I will no longer stay silent — I can’t afford to stay silent about my undocumented status,” Ahamed said in a statement provided by Seed to USA Today. “That is why I was arrested in Washington, D.C. as a volunteer for the #OurDream campaign. Like so many leaders in our nation’s history such as Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X, I am taking a stand for what I believe is right."

Seed held a protest at 2 p.m. Thursday inside the Senate building, where protesters led a crowd chanting “no dream, no deal." Eight people then held a sit-in and occupation of Emancipation Hall for about 20 minutes before being arrested by Capitol police. Capitol police officer Eva Malecki told USA Today their activities were unlawful and blocking pedestrian traffic.

Democrats are backing an immigration bill that they would like to see passed before the end of the year, which would give Dreamers a pathway to citizenship. But Senate Republicans say the bill is being rushed through before the end of the year. Some Democratic lawmakers say they would proceed with a government shutdown if the immigration bill does not pass.

Rodriguez was brought to the U.S. as a child from Mexico. He has organized many immigration protests in Red Bank.

“I’ve lived in the United States my entire life,” Rodriguez told USA Today. “I adopted its culture and made it mine.”

Juan Pablo is another Dreamer who lives in Lodi and is a volunteer organizer for the Seed Project; he was not arrested.