About a dozen children were taken to Capitol Hill for a protest against President Trump’s immigration policy.
The children were wrapped in foil blankets – intended to resemble similar blankets given to the children of illegal migrants who have been separated from their parents – and given posters attacking the government.
Small cages were also brought along to the protest, which was organized by LA RED outside the Russell Senate Office Building yesterday.
The children were wrapped in foil blankets – intended to resemble similar blankets given to the children of illegal migrants who have been separated from their parents – and given posters attacking the government
Small cages were also brought along to the protest, which was organized by LA RED outside the Russell Senate Office Building yesterday
The youngsters sang ‘protect the children’ and ‘no detentions’ as adults leading the demonstration led them in prayers
Children wrap themselves up with Mylar blankets to ‘symbolically represent the thousands of children separated from families on the border, sleeping on floors and held in cages’, during a protest at the rotunda of Russell Senate Office Building
The youngsters sang ‘protect the children’ and ‘no detentions’ as adults leading the demonstration led them in prayers.
One child, 12-year-old Lorenzo Morales, told ABC at the protest: ‘We’re trying to demonstrate what it’s like in the children’s cell. They’re kept in, like, five in one cell and it looks like it’s a dog pound. It’s horrible.’
He added: ‘It’s disappointing that the president and the Senate and this government is doing so little to help these children and I think separating a child from their family is the worst thing you can do to a child.’
Meanwhile, President Trump urged Republican lawmakers today to drop their efforts to pass comprehensive immigration legislation until after the November elections, which he hopes will boost the party’s majority in Congress.
Trump tried to refocus the immigration debate on Congress in a series of early morning posts on Twitter.
Despite Republican control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the party’s slim 51-49 majority in the latter chamber makes some Democratic support necessary to pass most legislation.
Trump has often chafed at this, which also leaves his party vulnerable to dissent by just one or two Republican senators.
‘Elect more Republicans in November and we will pass the finest, fairest and most comprehensive Immigration Bills anywhere in the world,’ Trump said on Twitter.
Meanwhile, President Trump urged Republican lawmakers today to drop their efforts to pass comprehensive immigration legislation until after the November elections. Pictured: Youngsters at the protest
A boy holds up a sign referencing Jesus during the demonstration in Washington DC yesterday
The Franciscan Action Network (FAN), Faith in Action and the DMV Congregation Network holds a prayer vigil with children wrapped in survival blankets
Children wrapped in survival blankets to protest ‘the cruel treatment of immigrants by the Trump administration’ in the Russell Senate Office Building
‘Republicans should stop wasting their time on Immigration until after we elect more Senators and Congressmen/women in November. Dems are just playing games, have no intention of doing anything to solves this decades old problem. We can pass great legislation after the Red Wave!’ he said.
In fact, many analysts say the party could suffer losses this November, when all 435 House seats and a third of the 100-member Senate will be up for grabs.
Trump bowed to intense pressure on Wednesday and signed an order ending the separation of children from their families while parents are prosecuted for crossing the border illegally, which had caused uproar at home and abroad.
He said then he still wanted Congress to pass a more comprehensive immigration bill.
The House on Thursday rejected a bill favored by conservatives that would have halted the practice of splitting up families and addressed a range of other immigration issues.
The bill was defeated in a 231-193 vote, with 41 Republicans joining the opposition. The House also postponed, likely until next week, a vote on a more moderate bill in order to try to drum up more support.