Crowds gather in Raleigh for pro-immigration demonstration
RALEIGH, North Carolina (WTVD) -- For the second weekend in a row, protesters gathered in the Triangle to express opposition to President Trump's travel ban.
One week ago, Trump suspended America's refugee program and halted immigration to the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries that the U.S. says raise terrorism concerns.
READ MORE: U.S. suspends enforcement of travel ban; Trump bashes judge
The protest took place at the Halifax Mall in Raleigh on Saturday afternoon.
"Today is a little bit more a concrete call to action," said protest organizer Sijal Nasralla.
This week's focus was to mobilize those in the crowd to become active on both state and local levels.
"(We want to) put pressure on every piece of the administration to protect the rights of immigrants and refugees in the state of North Carolina," Nasralla explained.
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Wildin Acosta was in the crowd Saturday, encouraging his fellow North Carolinians. In January 2016, ICE agents took the then 18-year-old Acosta into custody as he was leaving for school. Soon after, he ended up in a detention center in Georgia, awaiting word of deportation.
Acosta was released in August 2016.
READ MORE: Durham teen released from immigration detention center
"It represents the possibility of what can happen when all of the community comes together," Acosta told ABC11. "Because I see the community united. I see Muslims, Latinos from every walk of life united here. That represents hope for me, I am a refugee from Honduras."
Chopper 11 HD was in the sky with aerials of the crowd that only continued to grow Saturday afternoon.
While the public voices its widespread opposition to the White House's decision, one member of the North Carolina GOP spoke against dissidents of Trump's executive order.
"There is a lot of vitriol that seems to me, people are complaining because an election didn't go their way," said Dallas Woodhouse, NC GOP Executive Director. "And we do have elections for a reason, and they do have consequences."
Protesters say they will only continue to work to provide a voice for those they feel are under attack.
