Families Belong Together Marches and Protests Happening in Every State Today
Families Belong Together marches across the country today are expected to see hundreds of thousands of people gather to protest against the Trump administration’s family separation and detention policies.
Under the zero-tolerance immigration policy, more than 2,000 immigrant children were separated from their parents or guardians and detained in shelters under custody. National attention has focused on the living conditions and well-being of these children and human rights activists have been standing up against this policy.
We are ready to have a mass mobilization. This has to be taken right to the White House and to @realDonaldTrump's doorstep.https://t.co/OclGJhMjvy #EndFamilySeparation pic.twitter.com/d9DwEuqoGB
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) June 19, 2018
The Families Belong Together March was planned before President Trump signed an executive order ending the family-separation policy at U.S- Mexico border.
“It’s a clear sign we’re winning the argument, that Trump is feeling the heat”, Karthik Ganapathy, spokesperson for the Families Belong Together March and MoveOn, co-organizer for the protest, said last week about Trump’s executive order.
She also added “But at the end of the day what was announced today doesn’t actually solve the problem, in a bunch of ways. In terms of the kids who’ve already been separated, in terms of clarity on whether or not they’ll ever do this again… and lastly, on this question of indefinite detention-and in some ways that’s even worse.”
Here are some highlights around today’s events:
More than 628 protests are planned today, at least one in every state, as well as in international locations like Berlin and London
The national organizers behind the Families Belong Together events are the National Domestic Workers Alliance, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the ACLU, the Women’s March, and MoveOn
Protesters are encouraged to wear white to boost solidarity. Basic questions and information about the march can be found in this FAQ.
The main protest is planned for Washington, DC, in Lafayette Square — directly across from the White House — at 11 a.m on June 30. The timing will vary in different locations, more information about the demonstrations at MoveOn Website.
