Knoxville — An event planned to initially protest the separation of children from their families at the southern border grew into a rally for immigrant rights in East Tennessee.
It was specifically in response to the April raid of a meat packing facility in Morristown and the Knox County Sheriff's Office implementation of 287 (g), which allows local officers to act on behalf of and with the authority of federal immigration enforcement agents.
"I think it's important that we're not silent when we see injustices," Rev. Daniel Castillo said.
Castillo was one of many immigrant community leaders who spoke to the crowd of around 500 people.
"I know that there are many people who may not be Christians or do not have an affiliation, but I think that for us as Christians, it's very important for us to show compassion and love for others," Castillo said.
For others gathered, the need to treat immigrants with dignity transcends any differences in religion.
"I don't look at it as a matter of faith. I look at it as matter of humanity. It's just humanity," Genadi Osowiecki said.
For Osowiecki, immigrations is fundamental to his family history.
His grandparents were Jewish and fled Poland at the beginning of World War II. Osowiecki grew up in Israel before moving to America when he was 15.
"When I see the way people in really similar circumstances are being treated today, right here at our southern border, it just breaks my heart," Osowiecki said.
Speakers at the rally pointed out that America's immigration system was ineffective long before President Trump took office, but Osowiecki disapproves of the current administration's immigration policies.
"If immigration was based on Donald Trump's merit system, my parents would have never been admitted to this country because they were both factory workers," Osowiecki said. "And when we moved here to New York City when I was a teenager, they ended up getting jobs in a hospital."
Now, Osowiecki and his brother are both engineers and he says he's living the American dream, and other immigrants should have the same opportunity.