Daily News from New York, New York • 4

4 Friday, November 24, 201 7 DAILY NEWS NYDailyNews.com Good will's 4 immigs sit down in protest onparad Attendees' spirits soar like floats BY LAURA DIMON and GRAHAM RAYMAN NEW YORK DAILYNEWS FOUR PEOPLE protesting President Trump's immigration policies staged a sit-down protest and briefly blocked the Thanksgiving Day parade route before cops removed them. The protesters are young people who came into the country undocumented but were allowed to stay, according to the Seed Project. Trump ordered the repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in September. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in October announced the program would be canceled in March. Congress is now considering the measure and debating whether it should be included in a pending budget bill.

"We want permanent protection for undocumented youth and more focus on the fact that all undocumented youth are suffering, whether they're DACA or not," said Piash Aha-med, 26, a college student from The protesters, dressed in red T-shirts, sat in the middle of the road on Central Park West at 70th St. and were quickly ushered off by police. They were not arrested, spokesman Roberto Juarez said. Barbara Hernandez, a 25-year-old early childhood teacher, came from California to participate. "I was scared of being arrested, I was scared of losing my job," Hernandez said.

"But once there, I felt empowered, having them with me, and knowing it wasn't just for me -it was for everyone, not just the Dreamers, butall 11 million." Hector Martinez, 26, a Dit-mas Park yoga teacher, said the aim was to draw attention to the young and hopeful immigrants. "What we're trying to remind people is that they're the ones who shape a democracy, and it's their voices that shape whatthe future is. Ahamed said they're planning to protest in Washington in December. "We want to put pressure on the legislators and the public, and make sure we're not getting lost in this political nightmare," he said. "We want to make sure our voices are heard." Santa waves to the crowd as he kicks off the season at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Below, Bebe Rexha sings to the crowd from atop the New York Daily News float. Right, Macy's CEO Jeffrey Gennette cuts the tape to begin the day. Floats, clowns, people in turkey costumes and New York's Finest are all on hand. mil.