LIHUE — Protesters will be gathering at the airport intersection on Kauai Saturday to add their voices to the nationwide “Families Belong Together” rallies.
The main march is set for Washington, D.C., and “opposes the cruel, inhumane and unjustified separation of children from their parents along the U.S. border with Mexico and at other ports of entry into the U.S.,” according to the Families Belong Together mission statement.
On Kauai, organizers say it’s a chance to chime in about the importance of family.
“The culture of Hawaii is all about ohana and we all understand the importance of families and taking care of each other,” said one of the organizers, Margie Merryman of Kalaheo, who is also heavily involved in Women’s March.
She continued: “It’s reflected in the culture, in what we do and how we live — Hawaii is all about family.”
A Families Belong Together rally and march is scheduled on Oahu on Saturday as well.
The Trump Administration announced a “zero-tolerance” policy in April that directed federal courts to prosecute all adults illegally crossing the border, including those with kids.
Since children can’t be held in a federal jail, officers separated them from their parents and put them under the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Department of Homeland Security says more than 2,500 children have been separated from their families at the border in the past two months.
The administration has reworked the plan through a June 20 executive order and a June 23 announcement of a plan to put families back together — once deportation details are completed.
Better databases and other efforts are ongoing to make the reunification of the families easier, according to the June 23 announcement.
Merryman said she got a few phone calls and social media messages asking if Kauai’s Families Belong Together rally was still on after Saturday’s presidential announcement, but she said the news doesn’t change anything.
“I don’t trust it. He’s got something up his sleeve,” she said. “I hope everyone will realize this is wrong in every sense of the imagination and there is no justification for what they are doing to people.”
Organizers nationwide are proceeding with the rally, as well and organizers of the Kauai sister rally say it’s important that Hawaii joins in the conversation.
When it comes to immigration, Merryman said she believes people should abide by the proper processes, but said she doesn’t support targeting people who enter the U.S. seeking asylum.
“The administration is trying to make that a crime and it’s not. It’s a violation of human rights and we have to stand up and speak up and not put up with it,” she said.
Merryman continued: “This is a peaceful sign waving demonstration. It’s a get-together to show support and express how we’re feeling with the issues with this current administration.”
The rally is slated from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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Jessica Else, environment reporter, can be reached at 245-0452 or jelse@thegardenisland.com.
