9 arrested at protest of immigration detention company

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Police have arrested nine demonstrators who used cement and tar to glue themselves to the entrances of a private prison company headquarters in Florida to protest the treatment of immigrants.

Boca Raton Police spokesman Mark Economou said officers were clearing the area Tuesday after making nine arrests. He did not provide details on charges the protesters are facing.

Demonstrators told the Sun Sentinel they were protesting what they say is the mistreatment of immigrants and detainees in facilities run by the GEO Group.

One of the protesters Carlos Valnera Naranjo told the newspaper the activists blocked the entrances of the Boca Raton building using mixtures of cement and tar to make it difficult to remove them. Naranjo was detained.

The GEO Group said vandalism or destruction of property at facilities or offices “would not be tolerated.”

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Information from: Sun Sentinel , http://www.sun-sentinel.com/