Wave of protests in US over separation of migrant children

Tens of thousands of people have joined nationwide protests in the United States (US) over the government's hardline immigration policies.

According to reports, over 630 events were planned, with protesters calling for migrant families separated at the US border to be reunited.

Approximately 2,000 children remain separated from their parents, weeks after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to ending the policy.

There are concerns, too, that records were not kept linking parents and children.

The original zero-tolerance policy by the Trump administration required authorities to arrest and detain anyone crossing the Mexico-US border illegally.

That meant separating children from their parents and holding them separately

The British Broadcasting Corporation reports that there are protests in Washington DC, New York, and many other cities using the hashtag #familiesbelongtogether.

Marchers held placards calling for an end to family separations and for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to be abolished.

"It goes against everything we stand for as a country," one protester, Paula Flores-Marques told Reuters news agency as she stood in front of the White House in Washington DC.

In New York protesters chanted, "Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here".

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