Toys, necessities donated in DTLA for migrant children held in detention centers
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Volunteers collected donations in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday for migrant children being held in U.S. detention centers.
Donated toys, hygiene items, clothing and school supplies will soon be on their way to six centers in Southern California that are housing undocumented children separated from their parents at the border.
Members of Women's March L.A. wanted to collect as much as possible.
"Some of these centers are nonprofit organizations, however, this is not what they signed up for. They signed up for about 20 beds or 60 beds, and now we're talking hundreds and thousands," said Emi Guereca, executive director of Women's March L.A.
AUDIO: Migrant children separated from parents wail at U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility
A federal judge ruled that the more than 2,000 children separated from their families must be reunited within 30 days. For children under 5 years old, they must be reunited within two weeks.
A government watchdog will begin inspecting the holding facilities for kids.
Meantime, first lady Melania Trump made a second trip to meet with officials at a center holding undocumented children separated from their families. This time she traveled to Tucson, Arizona.
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Many advocates are concerned some of the children may never be reunited with their families because some parents have already been deported.
"This would be awful, if it happens," said Guereca, holding back tears. "I mean, I don't know how I would live, and I don't know how they would live if it happened to them. It's just an atrocity all around."
Rallies will be held across the country on Saturday, with people calling for an end to the zero-tolerance immigration policy under President Donald Trump. A rally will be held at City Hall in L.A. and will end at an ICE detention center along Alameda Street.
