Students arrested during immigration protest

More than two dozen local middle and high school students were arrested today while protesting changes in U.S. immigration law. It happened on South Post Oak near Gasmer when police tried to round up about 80 students from Madison High School and Dowling Middle School. Some of the students ran into traffic, through construction sites and into an apartment complex, KPRC reported, and police ended up arresting 26 of them for breaking truancy laws.

"We had a different group today. We had a group of kids, in some cases, that did not want to go back to school and were quite insistent on being processed, so we did that for curfew violation and for not complying with the police out here," HPD Capt. Dwayne Ready said.

Ready told KPRC Local 2 that he felt some of the students really wanted to be arrested.

"I think that's the message they're trying to get across," Ready said.

HPD arrested one student for hindering traffic, and one student was taken to Ben Taub hospital because she was suffering from complications with a medical condition. HISD police gave 67 students citations for curfew violations, a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $200. Officials said students caught skipping school to protest could be suspended for up to three days or expelled from school.