WASHINGTON D.C.- Thousands of demonstrators gathered across the nation on June 30th to protest President Trump’s family separation immigration policy. Dozens met in the nation's capital at Lafayette Park, located near the White House, with messages targeted towards Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as the president.
Protestors were requested to wear white on the Facebook event page titled, “Families Belong Together March in Washington, DC”
“White is a symbol of people coming together in unity and peace, and a way to connect events across the country on Saturday,” organizers such as the "Women’s March" and "Pantsuit Nation" posted on the event page.
As for specific demands, the group said that this “administration is cruelly separating children from their families. They have proven that whether it's at the border or in detention, we can't trust them to care for children."
Because of this, they “demand that Donald Trump" do the following:
1. Reunite families now. Permanently end family separation and immediately reunify those that have been separated.
2. End family detention. Children and families deserve due process, not indefinite imprisonment.
3. End ‘Zero Humanity.’ Reverse the Trump administration’s policy that created this crisis and chaos to begin with.
Families are being separated and detained. On Saturday we say: Not in our name.”
Protesters on the ground at this event spoke of unity against Trump and advocated strength for the families separated. “It is important that we stand and together and speak out…The larger issue is that the country takes notice of this injustice…’ said one protestor from the D.C. area, when asked why he was there.
“You’re not on the right side,” he told Townhall when asked what he would tell President Trump if given the chance.
“As a parent I can’t image what people go through…they come here to protect their children,” said one young mother who attended the event with her young son. “Step down. Respect the government and the process. Respect the separation of powers and the branches of government,” also commented the woman.
Also seen at the protest were several groups of pro-life protestors.
“We are here to support the unborn. We think that it is displaced, people being here to protest the children being separated from their parents, when there are unborn babies being aborted every,” said one pro-life man.
“We are here every Saturday, we are not just here for this protest,” said another from the group. “We get a lot of hostility everywhere we go...I have not experienced any physical violence,” she added.
She went onto explain that they get a lot of vandalistic like confrontation, but she personally has not experienced physical violence in confrontation.
However not all the protestors were there to protest the family separation policy.
“I’m more of a single-issue guy. It’s the moron in the White House that is the problem,” lamented one disgruntled citizen.
Another protestor wore a sign with a single word, “Impeach.”
“We are doing terrible things,” he said when asked why he attended the protest.
But, many of these protesters had nothing but praise for the media.
“Keep at it,” said one rally goer to journalists today.
“Keep after them. Don’t be balanced. Evil is bad and good is good. You know the difference,” added another.
Some celebrities made an appearance at the event as well. “We need to save the Supreme Court. We need to vote, because voting equals winning. We are re not backing down,” said Alicia Keys one of the key speakers at the protest.
Still, the many disparate protestors who gathered in Lafayette Square Park today expressed an across the board desire to see families reunited and to see President Trump out of office, whether voluntarily or by impeachment.
All photos taken by Townhall