Interfaith groups gathered in Washington D.C. outside the ICE Headquarters on the afternoon of Thursday, March 3, to protest and bring attention to the over 18,000 people being held in immigrant detention.

The groups, gathered for the #CommunitiesNotCages National Day of Action, are demanding the Biden Administration to shut down all detention centers, slash ICE and CBP budgets, and put an end to deportation.

The gathering was organized by Detention Watch in conjunction with American Friends Service Committee, Firm Action, We Are Home, and United We Dream Action.

The Detention Watch Network is a national coalition working to abolish immigration detention in the United States.

The coalition has a vision for a world where “every individual lives and moves freely and a society in which racial equity is the norm and immigration is not criminalized.”

Detention Watch combats struggles of racism, xenophobia, mass incarceration, and discriminatory policing to achieve their goal.

As the call for action continues, Detention Watch will be monitoring the effort on social media. 

The coalition is using their platforms, particularly their Twitter account, to follow developments and bring further attention to the cause.

The coalition will continue to update with developments and highlight key factors.

Across the country, other immigrants rights organizations have joined the demand to free immigrants from detention.

In Philadelphia, Juntos commemorated the day by announcing the launch of its Voces Libres effort, which is cataloging the experiences of immigrants detained in Pennsylvania’s immigrant detention centers. 

“Each testimonial speaks to the unnecessary suffering that detention inflicts on the individual, their loved ones, and their families,” Juntos’ website reads.