Maryland Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous was arrested Tuesday in Washington during an immigrants' rights demonstration, his campaign said.
The former NAACP president was participating in a rally in support of two immigration policies, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and temporary protected status, that it wants to see continued under the Trump administration, said Fernanda Durand, a spokeswoman for CASA, a group that helped organize the demonstration.
Jealous's spokesman, Kevin Harris, said Jealous was participating in a civil disobedience action when he was arrested. He said Jealous spoke at the rally and led a march around the White House.
”His actions today are consistent with his life-long work as a civil rights leader and community organizer, including his efforts to steer passage of the Maryland Dream Act," Harris said.
The U.S. Park Police, which made the arrest, could not immediately be reached for more details. Durand said about 25 people out of the 2,000 who attended the demonstration were arrested around 2:30 p.m.
