Washington, June 29 (IANS): About 600 women, including some congresswomen, were arrested on Thursday after they staged a march against the immigration policy of the US President in Washington DC.
According to the Capitol Police, a total of 575 women were arrested for illegally demonstrating in a protest, which sought to express opposition against the immigration policy promoted by US President Donald Trump, which includes the detention and separation of children from their families, Efe reported.
The women were arrested, charged and subsequently released at the scene.
The arrests, which followed a morning march of hundreds of women through the streets of the US capital, occurred in the Hart building of the US Senate.
At least one congresswoman, Pramila Jayapal, who also participated in the protest, was among those arrested.
"I just got arrested with a group of at least 500 women who took over the center of the Hart Senate building protesting the inhumane and cruel policies of 'zero tolerance', the separation of families," said Democratic House Representative Pramila Jayapal, adding that "we have to stand up", and that she was "proud of being arrested with them".
The Trump Administration launched the so-called "zero tolerance" policy last April, which considers illegal border crossing as a criminal offense, meaning that immigrant minors will be separated from their families.
Earlier last week, Trump penned an executive order to end family separations at the border due to harsh criticism.
Since then, the US government has reunited 538 children with their relatives, but more than 2,000 minors still remain separated, according to data from the US Department of Homeland Security.
