Associated Press
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ten people who identified themselves as illegal immigrants have been released from a Charlotte jail after they were arrested while protesting for immigration reform near the Democratic National Convention.
A Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman says the protesters were charged Tuesday with impeding traffic and released on $2,000 bond. They had been arrested the previous day after they sat in an intersection blocks from where convention events were taking place.
The protesters had traveled to Charlotte in a colorful passenger bus emblazoned with butterflies and the slogan, “No Papers No Fear.”
Police did not confirm the protesters’ immigration status. The county is part of a program that screens and reports illegal immigrants to federal authorities.
The protesters say they knew they were risking deportation but wanted to draw attention to the issue.
Copyright 2012 Associated Press