Blanc, D-Tempe, was in the capital along with so-called "dreamers" to demand Congress pass comprehensive immigration reform. Monday was supposed to be the day that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program expired, but the U.S. Supreme Court delayed its ending.
A video of the incident postedby the immigrant-advocacy group Living United for Change in Arizona on Facebook shows Blanc and other demonstrators being arrested after they staged a sit-in, blocking a street on the mall.
Blanc, who was formerly undocumented, traveled to D.C. along with three dreamers and members of the group to demand immigrant youths be spared from deportation.
“I’ve been undocumented, I know the fear and anxiety the dreamers feel," Blanc said in a statement before the protest. "I’m also an elected official, so I know what it means to reach the American Dream, which is all they want. I have a moral obligation to fight for them."
