A group of demonstrators blocked the entrance to PortMiami in protest of the U.S.’s Haitian immigration policy. NBC 6’s Steve Litz reports
A group of immigrant advocacy protesters gathered outside PortMiami Monday to speak out against the U.S. Haitian immigration policy.
The demonstrators temporarily blocked the entrance to PortMiami during the rally, holding signs reading "Stop deporting Haitians" and "Kamala Harris, deliver citizenship for millions!"
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Footage showed nearly a dozen protesters laying in the roadway with officers blocking the street from traffic. Protesters were specifically demanding action from the Biden administration, to release all Haitian migrants who have been detained and to stop deporting Haitian immigrants.
"They are deporting men, women and children -- even toddlers -- to a nation in turmoil," one protester said.
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The protest comes as the FBI joins the effort to negotiate the safe release of a group of missionaries kidnapped in the troubled country.
An announcement on the missionaries' website said the victims include five men, seven women and five children.
Miami Police said traffic to and from the port was being affected by the protest, and officers at one point also closed down Biscayne Boulevard in both directions as a result of the protest.
Police later reopened Biscayne Boulevard and said traffic to the port was returning to normal.
A total of 10 people were arrested, mainly for roadway obstruction, police said.
The Florida Immigrant Coalition, Black Alliance for Just Immigration, and Family Action Network were among the groups holding the protest.
They're demanding a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented Americans.
