More than 200 educators and activists, along with presidential candidate Jay Inslee, rallied outside the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) office Friday to protest the Trump administration’s continued detention of children and separation of families.

Organized by the American Federation of Teachers, the second-largest teachers union in the country, protesters donned white shirts reading “CLASSROOMS NOT CAGES.”

“Whatever it takes, let’s do [immigration] right,” AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus told VOA News.

“But, until then, these kids are dying. These kids are suffering. These kids are not getting schooling the way they should,” DeJesus added. “And the teachers are here, ready to school them, to teach them, to love them.”

People with candles attend as immigration rights activists hold a “Lights for Liberty” candlelit vigil at Cleveland Square Park in El Paso, Texas, July 12, 2019.

During President Donald Trump’s time in office,

Immigration rights activists hold a “Lights for Liberty” rally and candle light vigil in front of the White House in Washington, July 12, 2019.

Linda Lindsey, a teacher from Massachusetts, described how her mother emigrated from Italy at the age of 6, fleeing Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. Lindsey’s grandfather had papers that allowed the rest of the family to join him in the United States, she said.

“I probably wouldn’t be here if these stricter [immigration] laws were in place,” she told VOA. “This issue is near and dear to my heart.”

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Lucia Ascencio of Venezuela, her husband and their two sons, arrive back to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, as part of the first group of migrants to be returned to Tamaulipas state as part of a program for U.S. asylum-seekers, July 9, 2019.

Remain in Mexico

Toughened policies apply to asylum-seekers, too. The Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy forces asylum-seekers to stay in Mexico while their cases are decided.

“They have a legal right to come into this country and claim asylum made by international laws,” said Jose Antonio Tijerino, president and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, a leadership nonprofit. “What’s happened is that they’ve been conflated (with criminals) — every time (Trump) talks about immigration, he immediately starts talking about (the gang) MS-13 and all of these other things.”

The Trump administration has said this prevents migrants from using asylum to stay in the country illegally. Opponents argue the

Immigration rights activists hold a “Lights for Liberty” rally and candle light vigil in front of the White House in Washington, July 12, 2019.

Asked about the future, DeJesus, of the American Federation of Teachers, said the group would continue its efforts.

“We’re going to look for legislation. We’re going to keep fighting. We’re going to knock on every door,” she said. “We are serious about this because this could be you. This could be me. They all look like us.”

AFT members and other advocates protest again at a larger vigil Friday evening, one of nearly 800 sister events worldwide. 

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