March Protests Immigrant Family Separation In Jackson Heights

JACKSON HEIGHTS, QUEENS -- Hundreds marched through Jackson Heights on Saturday to protest the Trump administration's zero-tolerance immigration policy that has separated thousands of children from their migrant parents.

President Trump signed an executive order to end the policy on June 20, but the order did not address what to do with the some 1,995 children who, according to Department of Homeland Security data, have already been taken from their parents or guardians and put in detention centers.

The "Families Belong Together" rally from Jackson Heights to Corona was one of hundreds across the country on Saturday calling on the Trump Administration to permanently end the separation of kids from their parents, end family internment camps and reunify children with their parents, organizers said.

"Queens will not stand for the separation of families at the border," organizers wrote on the local protest's website. 'This is a call for Queens families to meet at the Jackson Heights Post Office and march in solidarity to the Park of the Americas in Corona."

The Jackson Heights march, hosted by District 13 state senate candidate Jessica Ramos, started at 10 a.m. in front of the Jackson Heights Post Office and ended outside Park of the Americas. The route winded down 37th Avenue, turning right on 104th Street and ending at 41st Avenue outside the park.

More than 200 people and groups signed up to walk in the event, organizers told Patch.

"We've been plugging in with other organizations around this areas that deal directly with immigrant populations on the front lines of this policy," said Tarik Coles, a senior advisor to Ramos.

Among them were groups like the Elmhurst Community Coalition and Emerald Isle Immigration Center, which will offer resources and support during and after the rally.

ECC Jessica Chacha told Patch the coalition came to the rally to send a message: Families belong together.

"With everything going on immigration-wise, there's a lot of concern among families here who don't know what's going to happen," she said. "We want to send a message to these families that we support them."

The coalition followed up the march with an Immigration and Wellbeing Resource Fair in Park of the Americas from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 50 nonprofits and city agencies were there to offer everything from legal consultations to a food pantry to children's activities and face painting.

"We want to promote spending quality time together and offer little things that can help these families deal with the stress of everything going on right now," Chacha said.

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images