Vigil Held In East Quogue To Protest Border Separation

EAST QUOGUE, NY — Images of children in cages and a heartbreaking audio recording of toddlers sobbing for their parents after they were separated at the border brought intense focus to the issue of a crackdown on immigration — and created a movement for change.

To that end, on Long Island, residents have organized rallies and vigils to protest a decision they call an outright violation of human rights.

The "Families Belong Together" organization has plans to organize in Washington, D.C. and nationwide to protest the separations on Saturday. A rally will take place in Greenport on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Mitchell Park; another gathering will take place on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the East Quogue Park.

The Greenport vigil was organized in support of families, especially those threatened with separation at the border, and will include speeches, music, and "entreaties for civic engagement," according to organizers.

In Sag Harbor, an event, "Walk for Interdependence: Keep Our Families Together," has been organized for July 4, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Main Street, with the group meeting at the windmill.

Trump later signed an order to end border separation, but the vigils are slated to continue — and New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo vowed to work to provide help to immigrant children.

Cuomo announced that New York State will be providing an array of services and resources for unaccompanied minor children, "including immigrant children that have separated from their parents as a result of the inhumane federal Government zero tolerance policy," a release said.

(Lead image: Children are held in a cage in a processing center in McAllen, Texas on Sunday, June 17. Photo from U.S. Customs and Border Protection/Flickr)