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Tom Cat Bakery’s threat to fire immigrant workers sparks protest, arrests

Four people were arrested early Friday morning after they chained themselves to a Queens bakery’s delivery truck to show their support of immigrant workers, police said.

Tom Cat Bakery in Long Island City alerted about 31 workers in March that they would be fired if they did not show legal authorization to work in the United States. The deadline to produce those documents was Friday, according to Brandworkers, the group that organized the protest.

The small group of protesters called for a “Day Without Bread,” gathering outside the bakery Thursday night. They chained themselves to delivery trucks and laid down under the vehicles overnight, attempting to prevent them from making their morning deliveries.

The four arrests occurred at about 4 a.m., police said. The individuals were charged with disorderly conduct, they said.

The bakery was audited by the Department of Homeland Security, which revealed that there were some employees without documentation to work in the country. That audit began in December, according to the bakery’s lawyer, William Wachtel.

Wachtel did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Friday’s protest.