By WPRO News and the Associated Press

President Donald Trump signed an executive order halting his administration’s policy of separating children from their parents when they are detained illegally crossing the U.S. border, but a crowd of Rhode Islanders still came to protest the policy at the State House.

“THE EVENT IS STILL HAPPENING. TRUMP SAYS HE’S SIGNING AN EXECUTIVE ORDER (EO) TO KEEP FAMILIES TOGETHER INDEFINITELY. THAT ISN’T GOOD,”  wrote the RI Womxn’s Action Initiative on Facebook, shortly after Trump signed the order and ahead of the protest they hosted. “PLUS, THERE IS AS YET NO PLAN FOR REUNIFICATION OF THE 2,500 FAMILIES ALREADY TORN APART! HE DOESN’T NEED AN EO, HE MADE THE POLICY, HE CAN END IT RIGHT NOW WITH A PHONE CALL.”

Protesters placed toys along the State House steps to symbolize the children separated from their families. Alyson Henault, a parent herself, came to protest with family and friends.

“It’s overwhelming. I feel heartbroken for these parents,” she said. “I read articles and I watch the news, and I’m in tears.”

Another protester, Lynnette Arnold, thought of her own daughter.

“My two-year-old daughter tells me on a regular basis ‘Mommy, I need hugs.’ All kids need hugs from their parents and I just can’t stop thinking about these kids who’ve been separated from their parents and need hugs more than anything else and can’t get them right now,” she said.

Trump’s executive order does not end the “zero-tolerance” policy that criminally prosecutes all adults caught crossing the border illegally. It keeps families together while they are in custody, expedites their cases, and asks the Department of Defense to help house them.