Cincinnati Protest Over Immigration Detention Ends in Arrests
Authorities in Cincinnati apprehended 13 individuals, inclusive of two reporters, during a public demonstration against the immigration detention of a previous chaplain at a local hospital. The protesters were obstructing a two-lane bridge, causing a disruption of traffic over the Ohio River. One of the arrested journalists is a Spanish language reporter arrested back in June during a protest near Atlanta called No Kings. The charges pressed against the journalist at the time were unlawful assembly, hindering police work, and pedestrian violation on or along the roadway.
The reporter, Mario Guevara originally from El Salvador, was later unburdened from the charges by a prosecutor. Nonetheless, before this decision was made, Guevara had already been transferred to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for detention. He remained in custody in the south of Georgia at an immigration detention center. His legal counsel claims that Guevara has the authorization to live and work in the United States, however, his potential deportation is being pursued by the ICE.
A significant part of the demonstration on Thursday evening was captured on video, which brings to light the depth of the tensions that reined. The scenes depict a law enforcement officer assaulting a demonstrator numerous times while other police officers attempt to subdue him. In the early stages of the demonstration, a black SUV was driven at a slow pace onto the Roebling Bridge. The protesters were walking along the roadway that serves as a connector for Cincinnati and Kentucky at that time.
Another footage reveals a demonstrator decked out in a brightly colored neon vest, seeming to push the SUV that entered the bridge earlier. In response to these actions, the local police force in Covington, Kentucky, stated that the individuals arrested had been non-compliant with police orders to dispel. According to a statement issued by the police department, the officials initially attempted to establish dialogue with the leader of the protest but were met with threats and hostility.
The charges pressed against those who were detained include rioting, obstructing emergency services, committing criminal mischief, and disorderly conduct on top of disregarding orders to disperse. The incident took place during a protest held in solidarity with Ayman Soliman, an immigrant from Egypt. He was formally employed as a chaplain at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and his detention served as the catalyst for the demonstration.
Soliman’s detention was instigated after he attended a routine check-in with ICE officials at their office close to Cincinnati last week. In an expression of support for Soliman, demonstrators gathered in the downtown area of Cincinnati on Thursday. They then moved across the bridge, displaying a banner bearing the words ‘Build Bridges Not Walls’ as a symbol of their peaceful protest.
Covington police officials concluded their statement emphasizing that although they respect the public’s right to protest and express their opinions peacefully, crossing the line by resorting to threatening officers and disrupting vital infrastructures, including an essential bridge, poses considerable risk to all parties involved. The implication was clear: while peaceful protest is a right, it’s essential that such gatherings do not escalate to the point of endangering public safety or the free-flow of critical infrastructures.
