Thousands turned out for three major protests in Riverside County against the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance immigration policies that led to the separation of thousands of children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border in recent months before the policy was rescinded.
Over 700 similar protests organized by the ACLU, MoveOn.org and other organizations took place across the county under the banner of “Families Belong Together – Freedom for Immigrants March.” Local protests got underway at 10 a.m.
In Riverside, hundreds of protesters lined Taylor Street from the 91 Freeway to Magnolia Avenue, in front of the Galleria at Tyler Mall, holding up signs that read “Families don’t have borders,” and “No excuse for child abuse.”
About 30 miles southeast, protesters marched from the Temecula Duck Pond to the corner of Yvez and Rancho California roads, where they gathered and chanted “Love, not hate, that’s what makes America great,” as passing motorists honked their horns in solidarity.
At a Palm Springs rally at Frances Stevens Park, U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Palm Desert, spoke before a crowd of over a thousand people.
“I, like you, when I saw those images of children being ripped from their mothers’ arms mourned terribly. It struck a cord of our moral conscious. It violated our moral standards,” he said.
A smaller rally also took place at the Town Monument at the intersection of Highway 243 and Ridge View Drive in Idyllwild.
Later Saturday, protesters will hit the pavement at 7 p.m. in Palm Desert at the corner Monterey Avenue and Highway 111 in front of the Westfield Mall.