Immigration activists from the Arizona Dream Act Coalition were holding a vigil outside a Phoenix immigrant detention center when a bus filled with immigrants tried to leave the facility.
1. The "dreamers," undocumented youth brought to the country as children, and their mothers, ran toward the bus.
2. They surrounded it.
3. They didn't let it go anywhere.
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5. The got on their knees to pray.
6. The lights from the bus on their faces.
7. "There were people inside," Andiola says. "Moms got on their knees and started praying."
8. An immigrant woman inside prayed as she cried.
9. A man inside raised his arms to show his chains.
10. The standoff lasted for hours.
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13. Andiola says they were supposed to leave at 9 p.m. but stayed five hours longer.
14. Two dreamers were arrested but released.
15. Eventually the bus slowly retreated back into the facility.
16. David Leopold, the former national president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and its current general counsel, says the photos show the human side of the immigration debate.
17. "The photos are compelling," he says. "This is about people after all and this is about families.
Leopold continued:
I think it underscores the fact that Congress has got to do something. The Senate has passed a strong bipartisan bill and the house is sitting on its hands and doing nothing. The August recess has shown the support for immigration reform is very strong. This incident shows the frustration out there.