CASA in Action and the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) hold a rally to 'demand protections for the men, women and children separated at the border as a direct result of Trump's 'zero tolerance' policy at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., on June 27, 2018.

Thousands of people are expected to descend upon Washington, D.C., and all 50 states on Saturday to protest the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy on immigration that's sparked widespread debate after more than 2,000 children were separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border.

"(The) family separation crisis is not over. We have a situation where the Trump administration seems to be aiming to detain families," said Karthik Ganapathy, a MoveOn.org spokesman.

The more than 628 rallies held in response to President Donald Trump's controversial policies – including family detention – are being organized by the Families Belong Together Coalition, which includes the National Domestic Workers Alliance, the Leadership Conference, MoveOn.org and the American Civil Liberties Union.

The ACLU said 300,000 alone will be in attendance in Washington, while MoveOn.org said Wednesday they expect hundreds of thousands of protesters in the nation's capital.

Washington, D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department declined to comment on crowd estimates for Saturday. The National Parks Service granted a permit Tuesday for an estimated 50,000 people for the nation's capital rally.

Each state is expected to host at least one event, with some states, such as Texas and Massachusetts, participating in upward of 30 events. California anticipates being the state with the most events – at least 80 on Saturday, according to the Families Belong Together website.

Why are these protests happening?

The rallies are in response to a widespread desire among Americans to take action against Trump's strict immigration policies, said Lorella Praeli, ACLU director of immigration policy and campaigns.

"This is our country, and if there is something happening that takes us in the wrong direction, we can’t stay silent," Praeli said. "It’s on us to hold our elected officials accountable, to hold our president accountable and to demand action. So silence in this moment is complicity."

After Trump signed an executive order last week ending the family separations, a California judge ordered the Trump administration Tuesday evening to reunite the migrant families it had separated.

There are 2,047 children that must be placed in the same facility as their parents within the next two to four weeks. But U.S. law and a series of court rulings that limit the amount of time minors can be held in detention will further complicate those reunions.

A June 18 CBS News poll showed 67 percent of Americans found separating undocumented immigrant children and parents at the border "unacceptable."

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said she has been engaging with organizers ahead of Saturday's demonstrations, and many are concerned about the direction of the country.

"The separation policy here, separating children from their parents and detaining them in internment camps and caging them is something that you would think would happen in tyrannical, authoritarian countries, not in a country that says that it is a democracy, not in the United States of America," Weingarten said.

Fabiola Perez, 24, said she will be protesting in Winston-Salem, North Carolina because of her personal history with the U.S. immigration process.

"I have been in those kids' shoes. I’m currently a DACA recipient; my parents brought me to the U.S. when I was only 7 years old. I had to cross the border and we failed multiple times, my little brother, my mom and I were detained by the immigration officials," said Perez, a sales operations coordinator at PepsiCo. "It was scary not knowing what to expect and also not knowing the language at the time. Thankfully, we were always kept together, which helped my brother and I feel safe."

Perez said she's also protesting as the mother of a 6-year-old son.

"Just the thought of getting my son ripped away from while only trying to get a better life for him would not only devastate me but it would definitely traumatized him," Perez said.

Episcopalian Chaplain Jenifer Gamber, 52, will rally at the Keep Families Together Coalition's event in Washington, D.C. Gamber said protesting sends a strong signal to elected officials about the public's opinions on immigration.

More: Trump administration racing the clock to reunite 2,000 children with parents

More: 'They killed my mother, killed my father:' Central Americans risk lives to reach US border

"I am appalled at the Trump administration’s treatment of people seeking asylum in the United States that criminalizes asylum-seeking and separates families," Gamber said.

Despite the uptick in multiple large-scale protests since Trump's inauguration, such as the Women's March and the March for Our Lives, Weingarten said activists are not feeling fatigued.

"People are just furious with the level of cruelty that is represented by this administration," Weingarten said. "There’s a sense of determination to try to make this difference." </s> {"id":56288369,"title":"Nationwide protests against Trump's immigration policies","duration":"2:45","description":"Tens of thousands rallied in more than 700 demonstrations across the nation to protest President Trump's immigration policies, urging him to reunite families separated at the Mexican border.","url":"/WNT/video/nationwide-protests-trumps-immigration-policies-56288369","section":"WNT","mediaType":"default"} </s> Outraged by stories of migrant children being ripped from their parents at the U.S. border, hundreds of thousands of people marched in cities across the country Saturday in protest of the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" immigration policies. More than 600 "Families Belong Together" protests and rallies were expected to be held as part of a nationwide day of action to demand separated migrant families be reunited. And photos from "Families Belong Together" protests show just how riled up voters are about Trump's treatment of immigrants.

Although President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this month that promised to end the separation of immigrant families, many critics say it isn't enough. "[The] family separation crisis is not over," MoveOn.org spokesman Karthik Ganapathy told USA Today. "We have a situation where the Trump administration seems to be aiming to detain families."

As part of The Families Belong Together Coalition, MoveOn.org — in collaboration with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Leadership Conference, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and dozens of other national and local groups — are demanding the Trump administration reunite every separated migrant family and put an end to the practice of family detention and its "zero tolerance" immigration policy.

Thousands of protesters, many dressed in white as a sign of solidarity, crowded into Lafayette Square on Saturday as Washington, D.C.'s "Families Belong Together" event got underway just across from the White House. Holding signs decreeing the separation of migrant families, protestors of all ages chanted between speakers.

But "Families Belong Together" protests weren't just happening in major cities; protesters also gathered for marches and rallies in small towns and rural communities across the United States. Though rallies in heavily-populated metropolises may have looked quite different from those that occurred in small towns, the message was the same: Families belong together.

"Families Belong Together" protest events were even held in a number of international cities by expats living overseas. In Munich, protesters gathered outside the U.S. Consulate to demand the Trump administration increase its efforts to reunite separated families.

Law enforcement agents and immigration officials reportedly separated more than 2,300 migrant children from their parents as part of the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" immigration policy, which calls for every adult apprehended entering the country illegally to face criminal prosecution. Mounting public outrage, however, led President Trump to sign an executive order earlier this month that sought to bring at least a temporary end to his administration's family separation policy.

But Trump's executive order didn't address how his administration planned to reunite already torn apart families. According to NBC News, more than 2,000 migrant children are still separated from their parents.

More to come... </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption "Our humanity is at stake," Alicia Keys tells a rally in Washington

Tens of thousands of people have joined nationwide protests across the US over the Trump administration's hardline immigration policies.

More than 630 events were planned, with protesters calling for migrant families split at the US border to be reunited.

Some 2,000 children remain separated from their parents, despite President Donald Trump bowing to public outrage and curtailing the policy.

Concerns remain that records were not kept linking parents and children.

Major protests took place in Washington DC, New York, and many other cities, using the hashtag #familiesbelongtogether. Marchers held placards calling for no more family separations and for the controversial immigration agency ICE to be abolished.

Trump defends 'smart, tough' agency

Analysis by Tara McKelvey, White House reporter, BBC News

The nation is deeply divided about immigration policy, and the president ignited the debate again with his tweets on Saturday.

From his golf resort at Bedminster, New Jersey, he defended the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Twitter, describing it as the "smartest, toughest and most spirited" of law-enforcement groups.

Meanwhile the movement to abolish ICE has been "going mainstream", according to some activists, and thousands have taken to the streets to protest the president's policies.

More than 100 protesters gathered near the president's resort ("My civility is locked in a cage", said one of their signs). I drove past the protesters on my way to the resort where I spent part of the day. As demonstrations heated up in New Jersey and across the US, the president was doubling down on his effort to promote his hardline policies.

"It goes against everything we stand for as a country," one protester, Paula Flores-Marques, 27, told Reuters in front of the White House in Washington DC. President Trump was out of town.

In New York they chanted, "Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here". In Chicago, protesters marched to the local offices of federal immigration authorities.

The original Trump administration "zero tolerance" policy required authorities to arrest and detain anyone crossing the Mexico-US border illegally. That meant separating children from their parents and holding them separately.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption What do Trump supporters make of the family separations?

Faced with a massive public outcry after recordings were published of distressed, crying children in detention centres, President Trump promised to "keep families together" in migrant detention centres.

But critics say the order did not address the issue of families already separated, leaving uncertainty over the fate of 2,342 children taken away from their parents between 5 May and 9 June alone. Earlier this week, a judge in California ordered the families to be reunited within 30 days.

It also still requires authorities to detain immigrant families, rather than release them with a court date to return.

What do the protesters want?

Organisers said they wanted to send a message to President Trump, prompted by concerns that he would renege on his executive order.

"We cannot slow down now since the court ruling alone isn't enough and could be overturned," said a statement on the movement's website.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Veronica is terrified she'll be separated from her daughter when she seeks asylum at the US border

As well as the reunification of parents and children, organisers called for an end to immigrant detention - even when families are kept together - and also planned to voice opposition to President Trump's travel ban targeting five majority-Muslim nations, which was upheld by the US Supreme Court earlier this week.

Demonstrations were also likely to focus on the shake-up of the Supreme Court after Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement last week, giving President Trump the opportunity to solidify a conservative majority on the country's top court.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Drone footage shows a "tent city" immigration centre

Much of the uproar over the separation policy came after news organisations reported on children being held in cells, converted warehouses and desert tents around the country.

President Trump on Saturday defended the agency that played a central role in carrying out the separations - the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He told its employees: "You are doing a fantastic job of keeping us safe by eradicating the worst criminal elements. So brave!"

Who is taking part?

Organisers issued instructions for people to dress in white, to represent peace and unity. The main march is taking place in Washington DC, but one of the people behind the movement, Anna Galland, said separate events were planned in 50 states.

Lead organisers of the march include the American Civil Liberties Union, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and the National Domestic Workers Alliance.

A number of celebrities expressed their support, including actresses Julianne Moore, America Ferrara and Natalie Portman, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of the hit musical Hamilton.

The protests are not the first against Mr Trump's immigration policy. Nearly 600 women were arrested on Thursday during a sit-in at a US Senate building against the government's migration policy. Actress Susan Sarandon was among those detained.

Many were draped in foil sheets to highlight the flimsy bedding given to migrant children held in border detention facilities.

What is the policy?

President Trump's "zero tolerance" policy has strong support among his key Republican support base. He has repeatedly defended the policy, saying it is simply enforcing the law.

Under a crackdown rolled out in May, all border crossers - including first-time offenders - are criminally charged and jailed.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption "I have no information on my son" - one woman's story of being separated from her son

Migrant children are not permitted to be incarcerated with their parents and are kept in separate facilities maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Under previous US administrations, undocumented immigrants caught crossing the border for the first time tended to be issued with court summonses. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Thousands gathered in front of the White House on Saturday to protest the Trump administration's immigration policies, which have separated children from parents at the U.S-Mexico border and sparked plans for military-run detention camps.

Joined by protesters nationwide, people crowding downtown Washington waved signs and chanted "shame" as religious leaders and activists urged the administration to be more welcoming of foreigners and to reunite families.

"It goes against everything we stand for as a country," protester Paula Flores-Marques, 27, said of President Donald Trump's policies. Trump was out of town.

Trump says illegal immigration fosters crime and he implemented a "zero tolerance" policy in May to prosecute all immigrants apprehended for entering illegally. That led to the separation of more than 2,000 children from their parents, which sparked an outcry this month, even from some allies of the Republican president.

In a rare retreat on an issue that fires up his conservative base, Trump on June 20 ordered officials to detain families together.

Protesters also gathered in New York, Los Angeles and scores of other U.S. cities. In Chicago, thousands gathered to march toward the local offices of federal immigration authorities.

Organizers estimated 30,000 people had gathered in central Washington. The peaceful protest appeared to be the largest pro-immigration demonstration in the U.S. capital since at least 2010, when activists rallied to pressure then-President Barack Obama and Congress to overhaul the U.S. immigration system.

"We are here because children being held in detention don't have a voice," said Helen LaCroix, 40, a mother of two from Washington.

A federal judge has ordered families be reunited and the administration asked the military to house immigrant families, leading the Pentagon to mull the construction of soft-sided camp facilities. [nL1N1TU013]

Since taking office in 2017, Trump has overseen an increase in arrests of people suspected of being in the country illegally. His administration is also approving fewer family visas. [nL1N1O72JC] [nL1N1O51GS]

Immigration has been on the rise in America and across much of the developed world for decades, roiling politics in recent years across Germany, Britain and the United States.

Trump, who on Saturday was at a golf club he owns in Bedminster, New Jersey, criticized the handful of Democrats who have urged for an elimination of the U.S. agency that enforces immigration law, which is known as ICE.

"I have watched ICE liberate towns from the grasp of [criminal gangs]," Trump said on Twitter.

Immigrants made up about one in 20 U.S. residents in 1970. By 2016, their share rose to about one in seven, according the U.S. Census Bureau.

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. </s> (CNN) — Demonstrators are expected to gather in cities across the United States on Saturday to protest the White House’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy that has prompted the separations and detentions of migrant families.

Here’s what you need to know about the Families Belong Together rallies.

What is it?

 The Families Belong Together event is billed by organizers as a nationwide day of action to protest the Trump administration’s strict immigration policies and call for the reunification of families separated and detained as a result of those policies’ implementation.

Hundreds of marches are expected to cap several weeks of outrage over the policies that have resulted in more than 2,500 immigrant children being separated from their parents in the weeks since the federal government started prosecuting anyone who crosses the border illegally.

Who is organizing the event?

 MoveOn, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and the National Domestic Workers Alliance are the lead partners sponsoring the event, according to the FAQ on MoveOn’s website.

They’re joined by dozens of other organizations lending a hand, too, per the Families Belong Together website. Amnesty International USA, the Anti-Defamation League, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Women’s March are among them.

What do demonstrators want?

 According to a document outlining the Families Belong Together messaging strategy, protesters have three primary demands:
• They want separated migrant families to be reunited immediately
• They want the government to end family detentions
• And they want the Trump administration to end its “zero tolerance” immigration policy

Despite the fact that President Trump signed an executive order last week reversing his administration’s family-separation policy, more than 2,000 children were still waiting to be reunited with their parents as of June 26, causing further anger and accusations that the administration is taking too long to take action.

“Since the beginning, President Trump has shown callous disregard toward mothers, fathers, and children who only want to find safety,” Amnesty International USA’s tactical campaigns manager Ashley Houghton said in a press release.

“Last week’s executive order presents a false choice to people seeking protection. Detaining families is not the solution to ending family separation. Every family approaching the border must be treated with dignity and respect,” Houghton said. “The administration must end the cruel and unnecessary practices of family separation and detention.”

Where are the marches taking place?

 The main march is taking place in Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., across the street from White House. Thousands of people have indicated they will attend or expressed interest in attending the event on Facebook.

Hundreds of other rallies are being held by local organizers in all 50 states. Protesters will show up in US cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Dallas, as well as in San Juan, Puerto Rico. There are also a handful of marches slated to take place in international cities such as Munich, Germany.

What will happen at the events?

 The groups are asking march attendees to wear white as a “striking visual symbol” to bring participants together and “channel historic social justice movements unified by one color of clothing,” the FAQ says.

Demonstrators are also asked to bring their friends and a sign with a messages expressing support for the reunification of separated families, bearing messages like, “Keep Families Together” or “Familias Unidas No Divididas.”

MoveOn has additional information and resources available on its website.

After June 30, organizers say they’ll continue working until their demands are met. The end goal is to change the way immigrant families are treated in the years to come.

“We will keep working to re-imagine a new future where our families and loved ones are together to live freely and with dignity,” the groups say, “not separated or put in camps or cages.” </s> (AP Photo/Don Ryan). In this Wednesday, June 27, 2018, photo, Kate Sharaf, who is spearheading a small group of stay-at-home mothers to organize an immigration rally, gestures to other volunteers while working at home in Portland, Ore. The small group ...

(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer). Protesters chant slogans outside a Federal court during a demonstration calling for the abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, and demand changes in U.S. immigration policies, Friday, June 29, 2018, in New...

(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer). Protesters chant slogans as they march during a demonstration calling for the abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, and demand changes in U.S. immigration policies, Friday, June 29, 2018, in New York.

(AP Photo/Don Ryan). In this Wednesday, June 27, 2018, photo, a small group of stay-at-home mothers, with children at their sides, work to organize an immigration rally in Portland, Ore. The small group of mothers organizing Saturday's rally in Portlan...

(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer). Protesters chant slogans outside a Federal court during a demonstration calling for the abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, and demand changes in U.S. immigration policies, Friday, June 29, 2018, in New...

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Liberal activists, parents and first-time protesters motivated by accounts of children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border plan to rally in hundreds of cities nationwide Saturday to press President Donald Trump's administration to reunite the families quickly.

More than 600 marches could draw hundreds of thousands of people across the country, from immigrant-friendly cities like Los Angeles and New York City to conservative Appalachia and Wyoming under the banner Families Belong Together.

Though many who show up will be seasoned anti-Trump demonstrators, others will be new to immigration activism, including parents who say they feel compelled to show up after heart-wrenching accounts of children forcibly taken from their families as they crossed the border illegally. In Portland, Oregon, for example, several stay-at-home moms have organized their first rally while caring for young kids.

"I'm not a radical, and I'm not an activist," said Kate Sharaf, a Portland co-organizer. "I just reached a point where I felt I had to do more."

Immigrant advocacy groups say they're thrilled - and surprised - to see the issue gaining traction among those not tied to immigration.

"Honestly, I am blown away. I have literally never seen Americans show up for immigrants like this," said Jess Morales Rocketto, political director at the National Domestic Workers Alliance, which represents nannies, housekeepers and caregivers, many of whom are immigrants. "We just kept hearing over and over again, if it was my child, I would want someone to do something."

Saturday's rallies are getting funding and support from the American Civil Liberties Union, MoveOn.org, the National Domestic Workers Alliance and The Leadership Conference. But local organizers are shouldering on-the-ground planning, many of them women relying on informal networks established during worldwide women's marches on Trump's inauguration and its anniversary.

Tyler Houlton, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, welcomed interest in the immigration system and said only Congress has the power to change the law.

"We appreciate that these individuals have expressed an interest in and concern with the critical issue of securing our nation's borders and enforcing our immigration laws," Houlton said. "As we have indicated before, the department is disappointed and frustrated by our nation's disastrous immigration laws and supports action."

In Portland, Sharaf and other mothers who organized the rally hope to attract 5,000 people.

Right-wing activists with the group Patriot Prayer also have a permit to march later in the day Saturday and the Portland Police Bureau said Friday they planned to have a heavy police presence.

Sharaf and co-organizer Erin Conroy have coordinated with immigrant advocacy groups.

"This is not my wheelhouse," Conroy said. "As far as I'm concerned, this is a national emergency that we all need to be focused on right now."

That passion is heartening for the broader anti-Trump coalition, which hopes marches will attract people who have otherwise been on the sidelines, said David S. Meyer, a political science professor at the University of California, Irvine, who has authored books on U.S. political protest.

"There are people who have all kinds of other grievances or gripes with the Trump administration and they're quite happy to use this one as the most productive and salient for the moment," he said.

Immigration attorney Linda Rivas said groups have met with U.S. authorities, congressional representatives and other leaders to discuss an escalating immigration crackdown that they say began decades ago. But the family separation policy has been a watershed for attracting a broader spectrum of demonstrators, she said.

"To finally have people on board wanting to take action, marching, taking to the streets, it's been motivating for us as advocates because we have to keep going," Rivas said.

Taxin reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press reporter Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed to this report. Follow Flaccus on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/gflaccus. Follow Taxin on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ataxin

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> CLEVELAND, Ohio — Activists, parents and first-time protesters motivated by accounts of children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border plan to rally in hundreds of cities nationwide Saturday to press President Donald Trump’s administration to reunite the families quickly.

A protest is set for Public Square in Cleveland at 10 a.m.

More than 600 marches could draw hundreds of thousands of people across the country, from immigrant-friendly cities like Los Angeles and New York City to conservative Appalachia and Wyoming under the banner Families Belong Together.

Though many who show up will be seasoned anti-Trump demonstrators, others will be new to immigration activism, including parents who say they feel compelled to show up after heart-wrenching accounts of children forcibly taken from their families as they crossed the border illegally. In Portland, Oregon, for example, several stay-at-home moms have organized their first rally while caring for young kids.

“I’m not a radical, and I’m not an activist,” said Kate Sharaf, a Portland co-organizer. “I just reached a point where I felt I had to do more.”

Immigrant advocacy groups say they’re thrilled — and surprised — to see the issue gaining traction among those not tied to immigration.

“Honestly, I am blown away. I have literally never seen Americans show up for immigrants like this,” said Jess Morales Rocketto, political director at the National Domestic Workers Alliance, which represents nannies, housekeepers and caregivers, many of whom are immigrants. “We just kept hearing over and over again, if it was my child, I would want someone to do something.”

Saturday’s rallies are getting funding and support from the American Civil Liberties Union, MoveOn.org, the National Domestic Workers Alliance and The Leadership Conference. But local organizers are shouldering on-the-ground planning, many of them women relying on informal networks established during worldwide women’s marches on Trump’s inauguration and its anniversary.

Tyler Houlton, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, welcomed interest in the immigration system and said only Congress has the power to change the law.

“We appreciate that these individuals have expressed an interest in and concern with the critical issue of securing our nation’s borders and enforcing our immigration laws,” Houlton said. “As we have indicated before, the department is disappointed and frustrated by our nation’s disastrous immigration laws and supports action.”

Trump took to Twitter on Saturday morning to show his support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid calls from some Democrats for major changes to immigration enforcement.

Tweeting from New Jersey, Trump said that Democrats “are making a strong push to abolish ICE, one of the smartest, toughest and most spirited law enforcement groups of men and women that I have ever seen.” He urged ICE agents to “not worry or lose your spirit.”

In Portland, Sharaf and other mothers who organized the rally hope to attract 5,000 people.

Right-wing activists with the group Patriot Prayer also have a permit to march later in the day Saturday and the Portland Police Bureau said Friday they planned to have a heavy police presence.

Sharaf and co-organizer Erin Conroy have coordinated with immigrant advocacy groups.

“This is not my wheelhouse,” Conroy said. “As far as I’m concerned, this is a national emergency that we all need to be focused on right now.”

That passion is heartening for the broader anti-Trump coalition, which hopes marches will attract people who have otherwise been on the sidelines, said David S. Meyer, a political science professor at the University of California, Irvine, who has authored books on U.S. political protest.

“There are people who have all kinds of other grievances or gripes with the Trump administration and they’re quite happy to use this one as the most productive and salient for the moment,” he said.

Immigration attorney Linda Rivas said groups have met with U.S. authorities, congressional representatives and other leaders to discuss an escalating immigration crackdown that they say began decades ago. But the family separation policy has been a watershed for attracting a broader spectrum of demonstrators, she said.

“To finally have people on board wanting to take action, marching, taking to the streets, it’s been motivating for us as advocates because we have to keep going,” Rivas said. </s> PORTLAND, Ore. -- Liberal activists, parents and first-time protesters motivated by accounts of children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border plan to rally in hundreds of cities nationwide Saturday to press President Trump's administration to reunite the families quickly. More than 600 marches could draw hundreds of thousands of people across the country, from immigrant-friendly cities like Los Angeles and New York City to conservative Appalachia and Wyoming under the banner Families Belong Together.

Though many who show up will be seasoned anti-Trump demonstrators, others will be new to immigration activism, including parents who say they feel compelled to show up after heart-wrenching accounts of children forcibly taken from their families as they crossed the border illegally. In Portland, Oregon, for example, several stay-at-home moms have organized their first rally while caring for young kids.

"I'm not a radical, and I'm not an activist," said Kate Sharaf, a Portland co-organizer. "I just reached a point where I felt I had to do more."

Immigrant advocacy groups say they're thrilled -- and surprised -- to see the issue gaining traction among those not tied to immigration.

"Honestly, I am blown away. I have literally never seen Americans show up for immigrants like this," said Jess Morales Rocketto, political director at the National Domestic Workers Alliance, which represents nannies, housekeepers and caregivers, many of whom are immigrants. "We just kept hearing over and over again, if it was my child, I would want someone to do something."

Saturday's rallies are getting funding and support from the American Civil Liberties Union, MoveOn.org, the National Domestic Workers Alliance and The Leadership Conference. But local organizers are shouldering on-the-ground planning, many of them women relying on informal networks established during worldwide women's marches on Mr. Trump's inauguration and its anniversary.

Tyler Houlton, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, welcomed interest in the immigration system and said only Congress has the power to change the law.

"We appreciate that these individuals have expressed an interest in and concern with the critical issue of securing our nation's borders and enforcing our immigration laws," Houlton said. "As we have indicated before, the department is disappointed and frustrated by our nation's disastrous immigration laws and supports action."

In Portland, Sharaf and other mothers who organized the rally hope to attract 5,000 people.

Right-wing activists with the group Patriot Prayer also have a permit to march later in the day Saturday and the Portland Police Bureau said Friday they planned to have a heavy police presence.

Sharaf and co-organizer Erin Conroy have coordinated with immigrant advocacy groups.

"This is not my wheelhouse," Conroy said. "As far as I'm concerned, this is a national emergency that we all need to be focused on right now."

That passion is heartening for the broader anti-Trump coalition, which hopes marches will attract people who have otherwise been on the sidelines, said David S. Meyer, a political science professor at the University of California, Irvine, who has authored books on U.S. political protest.

"There are people who have all kinds of other grievances or gripes with the Trump administration and they're quite happy to use this one as the most productive and salient for the moment," he said.

Immigration attorney Linda Rivas said groups have met with U.S. authorities, congressional representatives and other leaders to discuss an escalating immigration crackdown that they say began decades ago. But the family separation policy has been a watershed for attracting a broader spectrum of demonstrators, she said.

"To finally have people on board wanting to take action, marching, taking to the streets, it's been motivating for us as advocates because we have to keep going," Rivas said.

On Thursday, more than a thousand people and organizations including the ACLU, the ACLU of Texas and United We Dream gathered in Texas to demand that separated families be immediately reunited, the ACLU said in a news release. They gathered in Brownsville, which according to the ACLU is one of the "hardest hit" areas under the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy.

"The administration doesn't have a plan to reunite families. But we have a plan," said Terri Burke, executive director of the ACLU of Texas. "We are going to keep fighting. Refugees are welcome here, immigrants are welcome here. We won't stop until every single child is reunited."
Tens of thousands of people participate in nationwide protests across the United States over the Trump administration's immigration policies. Over 630 events are planned, with protesters calling for migrant families split at the United States–Mexico border to be reunited.