Louisville immigration advocacy groups rally outside ICE

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Local immigration advocacy groups protested the Trump administration's immigration policies on Thursday.

It happened across from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building in downtown Louisville

The local advocacy groups don't believe President Trump's executive order will help -- instead, they believe families will now be jailed together.

"This isn't about politics anymore, this is a humanitarian issue, you know? These are human beings," UofL student Zara Macias said.

Organizers said they want the government to stop treating families seeking refuge from danger and poverty as criminals, according to a statement released on Thursday.

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In response to the executive order, the National Immigration Law Center said in a statement:

"Jailing families is not an acceptable solution to putting children in cages. The best — and safest — place for these children is with their families and in their communities. The Trump administration pretends that alternatives to detention don't exist. This is false. There are numerous alternatives that are both more humane and less costly, but this president refuses to use them. Our country has a system in place to process asylum claims, and these families should be allowed to go through this legal process."

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