WASHINGTON — Activists gathered in D.C. on Monday, Presidents Day, to show their disagreement with President Donald Trump’s decision to declare a national emergency along the southern border.
MoveOn mobilized activists Monday to “defend our democracy and immigrant, Muslim, black and brown communities from Trump’s dangerous national emergency power grab,” according to its website.
The protests are part of a national movement. Rallies were planned in D.C. at Lafayette Square in front of the White House and in Maryland at the Whole Foods in Columbia and at Courthouse Square in Rockville.
On Friday, Trump declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border saying that it is a “major entry point for criminals, gang members, and illicit narcotics” and one that threatens “core national security interests.”
Overall, illegal border crossings are down from a high of 1.6 million in 2000.
On this President’s Day protestors gathered at Layfayette Square near the White House to demonstrate against the President’s national emergency declaration along the southern border . @wtop pic.twitter.com/TqgDCW3uoT
— Mike Murillo (@MikeMurilloWTOP) February 18, 2019
The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit challenging Trump’s emergency powers declaration within hours of the announcement.
