Five immigration protesters arrested at Wake Tech

Five immigration advocates were arrested Thursday during a demonstration at Wake Technical Community College, officials said.

Marco Antonio Cervantes Garcia, 19, of Mexico, Mario Valladares Salgado, 27, of Raleigh, Eduardo Ulises Barajas Perez, 18, of Carrboro, Jose Jared Rico Benandes, 23, of Raleigh, and Cruz A. Nunez Jimenez, 17, of Mexico, were charged with second-degree trespassing.

They were among a number of people protesting the North Carolina Community College System's admissions policy for undocumented students. They argued that students in the country illegally should be eligible for in-state tuition and other advantages if they live in North Carolina.

Wake Tech officials said they told protest organizers that they needed to obtain a permit at least three days in advance for any demonstration, and they asked the group to leave the campus shortly after the protest began. While most of the group then rallied off campus, officials said, five people staged a sit-in in the admissions office in the Student Services Building.