Washington Square Park Rally: 1000s Protest Trump's Anti-Immigrant, Anti-Refugee Orders

MANHATTAN, NY — Protesters packed Washington Square Park Wednesday night to rally against a set of anti-immigrant policies imposed by President Donal Trump earlier in the day.

Executive orders signed by Trump on Wednesday called for a financial crackdown on "sanctuary cities" shielding illegal immigrants from the feds and for the construction of a new wall along the Mexican border. An additional order expected to be signed this week would put an immediate hold on all refugees entering the U.S., and ban Syrian refugees from entering indefinitely.

The "emergency rally" was organized by the the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"As a city of immigrants, we cannot stay silent in the face of such hate. We ask you to gather tonight (Wednesday), to show President Trump that all New Yorkers stand with our Muslim and Latino neighbors," the council announced on Facebook. "Together, we will form a beacon of light against the coming darkness."

Thousands of protesters shouted "Resist!" in unison and held up signs with messages of support for the Muslim, refugee and immigrant communities of NYC and the nation.

Here are some scenes from Wednesday night's rally:

One of Trump's executive orders this week could cost NYC millions or even billions of dollars, due to its status as a sanctuary city for immigrants.

The decision, signed Wednesday, said: "Sanctuary jurisdictions across the United States willfully violate Federal law in an attempt to shield aliens from removal from the United States. These jurisdictions have caused immeasurable harm to the American people and to the very fabric of our Republic."

As punishment, Trump has ordered his Secretary of Homeland Security and Attorney General to "ensure," through all legal means available, that sanctuary cities "are not eligible to receive Federal grants."

The exact amount of federal funds to be pulled from NYC coffers is still unclear, as the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General have yet to determine which grants can legally be canceled.

Check out Patch's full report on how Trump's anti-immigrant order could affect NYC.

Lead photo by Ziad Dallal/Twitter