Several Democratic lawmakers marched to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection building in D.C. this week, to decry the practice.
Several members of Congress risked arrest Wednesday as they protested the Trump administration’s new “zero tolerance” policy, which separates migrant children from their parents in the event that parents are taken into custody by immigration officials.
The people on the steps, including @repjoecrowley, @repjohnlewis and @RepAlGreen are told that they will be arrested during this protest #FamiliesBelongTogether pic.twitter.com/kFChjHTJ9J
— Arthur Jones II (@arthurjonesii) 13 June 2018
The members of Congress — as well as dozens of people including actor John Cusack who joined them — marched to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection building in Washington, D.C., chanting, among other things, “Bring our babies back” before seating themselves on the steps of the CBP building.
Among those protesting the separation policy were civil rights icon and longtime Georgia Rep. John Lewis (D), Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY), Rep. Al Green (D-TX), and Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL), Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). According to Splinter, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), the first former undocumented immigrant to serve in Congress, was also present in several photos from the protest.
“DHS will arrest children, but when Members of Congress commit civil disobedience they watched silently. Shame! So we are taking our protest directly to Donald Trump. Next stop the White House,” Chu tweeted Wednesday afternoon.
