Demonstrators rallied across the USA on Saturday to protest President Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" immigration policy.
Organizers say the gatherings provide a forum for people to call out the president's broader push to limit legal and illegal immigration, from his controversial travel ban to his ending deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants.
Here's are snapshots of the coast-to-coast protests:
Florida
About 500 people gathered around the Old Lee County courthouse in Fort Myers, Florida. Despite steamy temperatures in the 90s, protesters packed the courthouse steps while others gathered under trees or whatever shade they could find.
Richard Schaffer, 74, who moved to Fort Myers from North Dakota six years ago, wore an Uncle Sam suit with red, white and blue. He usually wears the attire for sports events and as a way to greet veterans.
“I’ve never been active with the Democratic or Republican party,” he said. “But I can’t stand it anymore. I have to participate.
“I can’t believe what I’m seeing. This is not the country I was born in 75 years ago. I need to do something. I just can’t complain.”
At Jensen Beach, located east of Port St. Lucie, more than 200 people rallied Saturday.
John Warner and Diane Morgan brought their bloodhound, Gwendolyn, to the demonstration. The pet had a sign that read "Dogs care."
Kentucky
U2’s “Beautiful Day” played at Louisville, Kentucky's Metro Hall as protesters below sought refuge from Saturday’s sweltering heat in the few pockets of shade available.
Art Baltes stood out from the crowd, pacing back and forth under the sunshine with a banner in hand: “Immigrants and Refugees Welcome.”
Baltes, of Louisville, said his Catholic faith spurred him to attend the rally.
“That’s exactly where it starts — our faith,” he said. “We just want people to know that people in this town support immigrants and refugees.”
Michigan
New Jersey
Several hundred people gathered along Route 206 in Bedminster on Saturday morning, holding signs showing their disagreement with the policies of the Trump administration. That's just a few miles away from Trump National Golf Course, where the president is spending the weekend.
Weekly protests have been going on here since the president’s election, but this is one of the largest turnouts since the events began. Before the rally, the weekly motorcade that runs from the library to the golf course and back occurred.
An organizer said that this was the largest rally they have had since this effort began with some 400 people in attendance.
More: Where is Trump? President is at his golf resort in New Jersey as thousands protest in DC
Some protesters chanted “Where are the children!”
Jack Gavin, of West Caldwell, New Jersey, handed out miniature copies of U.S. Constitutions, “Facts Matter” pins and cold drinks.
After he leaves Bedminster, Gavin is planning on attending similar protests Newark, New Jersey and Clifton, New Jersey.
“For years I was interested and voted, but otherwise uninvolved,” Gavin said. “Now our democracy is in danger, so it’s all hands on deck.”
In Newark, New Jersey, early arrivals carried banners with the words “Hate Never Made Anything Great” and “We are the people a nation of immigrants” before an 11 a.m. rally started.
New Jersey Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker delivered speeches where they denounced the immigration policies of Trump's administration.
“We have seen and heard the heart-wrenching photos of children in cage-like detention centers and we have heard the heart-wrenching sounds of children crying out for their parents,” said Menendez. “And we have heard the heartless excuses of a president who has no moral compass, but in America we have a moral compass.”
In New Brunswick, New Jersey, a crowd of over 500 people gathered outside City Hall at 10 a.m.
The crowd included people of all ages and backgrounds, holding signs adorned with slogans like: ‘I Stand for Kids,’ ‘Zero Tolerance = Zero Morality,’ ‘Make Racism Wrong Again,’ ‘What You’re Doing Is Not Making America Great or Safe,’ and ‘Families Belong Together, Not in Cages.’
“No kind of caging of any kind of human is humane in any circumstances,” said one of the organizers of the event, Sarwat Malik-Hassan. “This is not the America that my parents brought me to, this is not how people should be living; people immigrate here to get away from all this and we’re back at square one.”
In Asbury Park, New Jersey, about 300 people attended a Families Belong Together Rally amid scorching summer temperatures.
New York
About 500 people gathered at the Bernie Milton Pavilion in Ithaca, New York. One sign at the rally: "Nazi's separated families. We shall not."
In Elmira, New York, dozens of people gathered at Wisner Park late Saturday morning.
“Keeping families together isn’t a Republican issue or a Democratic issue. It’s a human rights issue,” said Elizabeth Brown-Shook.
Pennsylvania
About 100 participants gathered in Continental Square in York, Pennsylvania. When asked, "Why are you here today?" John Terlazzo responded: “Because I’m sane.”
“This whole regime is an atrocity. And I don’t care who you are, you don’t mess with children," Terlazzo said.
South Carolina
A rally at Graham Plaza in Greenville, South Carolina drew a crowd of about 250 people Saturday — a mix of young families and older folks.
The rally kicked off at 9 a.m. and lasted until about 11:30 a.m., ending with folks standing in one line side-by-side, forming a “unity wall” down Main Street.
Co-organizer Mallory Pellegrino had her son on her mind as she was setting up Saturday morning.
“It’s easy for us all to think well I would never put my kid in that kind of danger. But I think of the quote, ‘you don’t put your kid in a boat unless the water is safer than the land.’"
Texas
In Austin, Texas, people carrying signs and bottles of water streamed onto the grounds of the Texas Capitol two hours before a rally was scheduled to start.
The rally is expected to draw between 10,000 and 30,000 people, based on responses to its events page on Facebook. It is one of 30 events in cities across Texas. Temperatures in Austin are expected to reach triple digits.
"They're saying enough is enough," said Laura Guerra-Cardus, one of the coordinators of the event. "People in this country are outraged at how we are treating immigrants and asylum seekers."
In El Paso, Texas, an estimated 1,500 people attended a rally near the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry.
Virginia
In Staunton, Virginia, two separate rallies converged Saturday morning — one starting at Gypsy Hill Park and another at the Augusta County Courthouse in downtown Staunton.
One person held a bullhorn and played the sounds of crying immigrants.
"This issue resonates with me because of my family history," said Ellen Werther of Staunton. Her family was torn apart before World War II in Nazi Germany.
"It started with name calling, it started with isolating," she said. "This is how it starts."
In the small town of Onancock, Virginia — population just under 1,300 — about 60 people marched.
The “Rally for the Children” organized by a grassroots committee saw residents march through the streets and gather at a local park, carrying American flags.
Wisconsin
Hundreds of people marched in the Milwaukee suburb of Shorewood, the first of several rallies planned in Wisconsin on Saturday.
"I have five children, so this issue is really upsetting to me. I believe it’s utter cruelty to separate children from their parents," said Erin Cassidente of Menomonee Falls, who turned out with members of her Mennonite church. "As a country, we need to treat people better."
Contributing: Nick Muscavage, Paul Grzella, Alexander Lewis — mycentraljersey.com; Shannon Hall — courier-journal.com; Candace Mitchell — northjersey.com; Laura Peters — newsleader.com; Samantha Ruland — ydr.com; Matt Steecker —ithacajournal.com; Jeff Murray — stargazette.com; Carol Vaughn — delmarvanow.com; Lillia Callum-Penso — greenvilleonline.com; John C. Moritz — USA Today Network, Austin Bureau; Craig Handel — news-press.com, Annysa Johnson — jsonline.com
Demonstrators rallied across the USA on Saturday to protest President Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" immigration policy.
Organizers say the gatherings provide a forum for people to call out the president's broader push to limit legal and illegal immigration, from his controversial travel ban to his ending deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants.
Here's are snapshots of the coast-to-coast protests:
Florida
About 500 people gathered around the Old Lee County courthouse in Fort Myers, Florida. Despite steamy temperatures in the 90s, protesters packed the courthouse steps while others gathered under trees or whatever shade they could find.
Richard Schaffer, 74, who moved to Fort Myers from North Dakota six years ago, wore an Uncle Sam suit with red, white and blue. He usually wears the attire for sports events and as a way to greet veterans.
“I’ve never been active with the Democratic or Republican party,” he said. “But I can’t stand it anymore. I have to participate.
“I can’t believe what I’m seeing. This is not the country I was born in 75 years ago. I need to do something. I just can’t complain.”
At Jensen Beach, located east of Port St. Lucie, more than 200 people rallied Saturday.
John Warner and Diane Morgan brought their bloodhound, Gwendolyn, to the demonstration. The pet had a sign that read "Dogs care."
Kentucky
U2’s “Beautiful Day” played at Louisville, Kentucky's Metro Hall as protesters below sought refuge from Saturday’s sweltering heat in the few pockets of shade available.
Art Baltes stood out from the crowd, pacing back and forth under the sunshine with a banner in hand: “Immigrants and Refugees Welcome.”
Baltes, of Louisville, said his Catholic faith spurred him to attend the rally.
“That’s exactly where it starts — our faith,” he said. “We just want people to know that people in this town support immigrants and refugees.”
Michigan
New Jersey
Several hundred people gathered along Route 206 in Bedminster on Saturday morning, holding signs showing their disagreement with the policies of the Trump administration. That's just a few miles away from Trump National Golf Course, where the president is spending the weekend.
Weekly protests have been going on here since the president’s election, but this is one of the largest turnouts since the events began. Before the rally, the weekly motorcade that runs from the library to the golf course and back occurred.
An organizer said that this was the largest rally they have had since this effort began with some 400 people in attendance.
More: Where is Trump? President is at his golf resort in New Jersey as thousands protest in DC
Some protesters chanted “Where are the children!”
Jack Gavin, of West Caldwell, New Jersey, handed out miniature copies of U.S. Constitutions, “Facts Matter” pins and cold drinks.
After he leaves Bedminster, Gavin is planning on attending similar protests Newark, New Jersey and Clifton, New Jersey.
“For years I was interested and voted, but otherwise uninvolved,” Gavin said. “Now our democracy is in danger, so it’s all hands on deck.”
In Newark, New Jersey, early arrivals carried banners with the words “Hate Never Made Anything Great” and “We are the people a nation of immigrants” before an 11 a.m. rally started.
New Jersey Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker delivered speeches where they denounced the immigration policies of Trump's administration.
“We have seen and heard the heart-wrenching photos of children in cage-like detention centers and we have heard the heart-wrenching sounds of children crying out for their parents,” said Menendez. “And we have heard the heartless excuses of a president who has no moral compass, but in America we have a moral compass.”
In New Brunswick, New Jersey, a crowd of over 500 people gathered outside City Hall at 10 a.m.
The crowd included people of all ages and backgrounds, holding signs adorned with slogans like: ‘I Stand for Kids,’ ‘Zero Tolerance = Zero Morality,’ ‘Make Racism Wrong Again,’ ‘What You’re Doing Is Not Making America Great or Safe,’ and ‘Families Belong Together, Not in Cages.’
“No kind of caging of any kind of human is humane in any circumstances,” said one of the organizers of the event, Sarwat Malik-Hassan. “This is not the America that my parents brought me to, this is not how people should be living; people immigrate here to get away from all this and we’re back at square one.”
In Asbury Park, New Jersey, about 300 people attended a Families Belong Together Rally amid scorching summer temperatures.
New York
About 500 people gathered at the Bernie Milton Pavilion in Ithaca, New York. One sign at the rally: "Nazi's separated families. We shall not."
In Elmira, New York, dozens of people gathered at Wisner Park late Saturday morning.
“Keeping families together isn’t a Republican issue or a Democratic issue. It’s a human rights issue,” said Elizabeth Brown-Shook.
Pennsylvania
About 100 participants gathered in Continental Square in York, Pennsylvania. When asked, "Why are you here today?" John Terlazzo responded: “Because I’m sane.”
“This whole regime is an atrocity. And I don’t care who you are, you don’t mess with children," Terlazzo said.
South Carolina
A rally at Graham Plaza in Greenville, South Carolina drew a crowd of about 250 people Saturday — a mix of young families and older folks.
The rally kicked off at 9 a.m. and lasted until about 11:30 a.m., ending with folks standing in one line side-by-side, forming a “unity wall” down Main Street.
Co-organizer Mallory Pellegrino had her son on her mind as she was setting up Saturday morning.
“It’s easy for us all to think well I would never put my kid in that kind of danger. But I think of the quote, ‘you don’t put your kid in a boat unless the water is safer than the land.’"
Texas
In Austin, Texas, people carrying signs and bottles of water streamed onto the grounds of the Texas Capitol two hours before a rally was scheduled to start.
The rally is expected to draw between 10,000 and 30,000 people, based on responses to its events page on Facebook. It is one of 30 events in cities across Texas. Temperatures in Austin are expected to reach triple digits.
"They're saying enough is enough," said Laura Guerra-Cardus, one of the coordinators of the event. "People in this country are outraged at how we are treating immigrants and asylum seekers."
In El Paso, Texas, an estimated 1,500 people attended a rally near the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry.
Virginia
In Staunton, Virginia, two separate rallies converged Saturday morning — one starting at Gypsy Hill Park and another at the Augusta County Courthouse in downtown Staunton.
One person held a bullhorn and played the sounds of crying immigrants.
"This issue resonates with me because of my family history," said Ellen Werther of Staunton. Her family was torn apart before World War II in Nazi Germany.
"It started with name calling, it started with isolating," she said. "This is how it starts."
In the small town of Onancock, Virginia — population just under 1,300 — about 60 people marched.
The “Rally for the Children” organized by a grassroots committee saw residents march through the streets and gather at a local park, carrying American flags.
Wisconsin
Hundreds of people marched in the Milwaukee suburb of Shorewood, the first of several rallies planned in Wisconsin on Saturday.
"I have five children, so this issue is really upsetting to me. I believe it’s utter cruelty to separate children from their parents," said Erin Cassidente of Menomonee Falls, who turned out with members of her Mennonite church. "As a country, we need to treat people better."
Contributing: Nick Muscavage, Paul Grzella, Alexander Lewis — mycentraljersey.com; Shannon Hall — courier-journal.com; Candace Mitchell — northjersey.com; Laura Peters — newsleader.com; Samantha Ruland — ydr.com; Matt Steecker —ithacajournal.com; Jeff Murray — stargazette.com; Carol Vaughn — delmarvanow.com; Lillia Callum-Penso — greenvilleonline.com; John C. Moritz — USA Today Network, Austin Bureau; Craig Handel — news-press.com, Annysa Johnson — jsonline.com
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