The hectic commute at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge experienced a 30-minute delay on Thursday as protesters took the road to push for immigrant protections.
Behind the flock of protesters was the Bay Area Coalition for Economic Justice and Citizenship for All. The protest organizers said that they demand actions from the Congressional Democrats to have immigrant families protected, according to its statement published in several media outlets.
“Override the Parliamentarian”, “Citizenship for all no exceptions”, and “Pass the $3.5 trillion spending bill” are among the calls of the protesters, which they made into signs they carried out on the road.
At about 7:00 in the morning, both protesters in vehicles and on foot caused delays on northbound lanes going toward Marin County. The southbound lanes were also shut by the California Highway Patrol.
After 45 minutes, the traffic returned but the only minimal movement was observed, according to a report by KCBS.
Organizers said the official protest was intended to last only 20 minutes.
The Bay Area Coalition for Economic Justice and Citizenship for All, through a statement provided to the media, expressed that “injustice must stop.” It added that the county’s economy could improve with an inclusive way to citizenship for the undocumented immigrants in the country, which has already reached 11 million in numbers. Also included in its economic impact is the rise on U.S. gross domestic product over ten years, attaining a cumulative $1.7 trillion in total, generate 438, 800 additional employments, and can result to wage increase for both undocumented and American employers, SFGATE reported.
“The time to deliver economic justice, climate justice, and citizenship for all is now,” the coalition said. “For these reasons, we demand that Vice President Harris and top Democrats in Congress override the decision by the unelected Senate parliamentarian which excludes undocumented immigrants from the budget reconciliation process.”
