Politics
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Protestors sit in foil blankets as Capitol Police begins arresting people
- More than one thousand women from all over the US marched in the streets and occupied the Hart Senate Office Building on Thursday.
- They were protesting the Trump administration's immigration policies and calling for the abolition of Immigration Customs and Enforcement.
- At least 575 women were arrested, according to Capitol police.
More than one thousand demonstrators& from 47 states descended on Washington, DC, for a peaceful protest and sit-in over a "zero tolerance" immigration policy the Trump administration has touted in recent weeks. That police had led to the separation of thousands of children from their parents before the Trump administration halted the separations in late June.
Hundreds of children remain separated from their parents in shelters throughout the US.
The protesters occupied the Hart Senate Office Building on Thursday while wearing foil blankets that resembled those worn by children being held in detention facilities on the US-Mexico border. During their sit-in they called for the reunification of families and the dissolution of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
Several prominent members of Congress, including Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts joined in solidarity with the protesters.
In all, Capitol police arrested at least 575 women for the misdemeanor offense of unlawfully demonstrating in the Capitol. Two of those arrested included actress Susan Sarandon and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who serves the 7th Congressional District of Washington state.
These incredible photos that show the size and impact of the event: