Hundreds of people in Toronto joined the chorus of voices across North America in the Families Belong Together march. The rallies denounce the Donald Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy on undocumented immigrants that resulted in the separation of thousands of children from their parents.
“It breaks my heart to see that it’s happened, it has happened, and that it continues to happen,” said Betsy Moss, an American living in Toronto. “It shocks me there is no bureaucratic process to reunite the children with their parents. It angers me.”
“Terrible, it’s hard for me to talk about without getting emotional,” said rally attendee, Erin Sperling.
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WATCH: Toronto Police watched as “Families Belong Together” demonstrated against U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration policy across the street from the U.S. consulate
There were hundreds of planned marches across North America that drew thousands of people, who are asking for a change to the current hard-line policy that has seen families separated at the U.S.-Mexican border.
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In the United States, thousands marched in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Washington, D.C. Rallies were also held across Canada in Vancouver, Edmonton, and Winnipeg, to name a few.
In Toronto, hundreds of protesters marched up University Avenue, from the U.S. consulate to Queen’s Park on Saturday.
READ MORE: Protesters of Trump immigration policy flood streets across U.S.
Luis Segura was one of the speakers at Toronto’s ‘Families Belong Together’ march and shared his personal story as a refugee from El Salvador.
“I fled with my family… and to these kids, that trip, that risk that is taken, there’s enough to deal with already there. But for them to experience this on top of that? It’s torture,” said Segura. “That’s why it hurts so much; I can relate to that in a way.”
The crowd also consisted of many Americans, including Julie Zwillich. She flew in from Oregon to relay the message of Toronto’s ralliers back to the U.S.
“Getting Americans to be bolstered by the fact that the world understands that this is not something that average Americans are doing, this is something that a rogue administration is doing and we need to stop it,” said Zwillich.
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Rally organizers are hoping for action from the Trudeau government.
“It is happening here. Violently and cruelly.”
A Global News exclusive revealed at least one refugee fleeing from Afghanistan was blocked from uniting with his family because Immigration and Citizenship Canada doesn’t consider the parents of child refugees as “family members.”
Vasquez Jimenez says organizers plan to hold more rallies in the future.
“We are more connected than ever and this will continue.”
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