Occupy ICE protests: What to know about demonstrations in Portland, Philadelphia and nationally

Is Occupy ICE the next Occupy Wall Street?

In cities across the county, including here in Philadelphia, protesters have set up encampments outside Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices to protest the Trump administration's hard-line approach to individuals and families crossing the border illegally.

"It's time to abolish ICE and the inhumane and unnecessary system of oppression," Oakland mayoral candidate and radio host Cat Brooks told the Guardian from the Occupy ICE camp in San Francisco. "Abolishing ICE is a reasonable goal."

Occupy ICE is a growing national movement in cities across the country that has risen in response to President Trump's "zero-tolerance" immigration policy, which led to the forced separation of parents from their children at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Department of Health and Human Services doesn't appear to know the exact number of children — including toddlers and infants — who have been separated from their parents, estimating the number is "less than 3,000."

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Following a wave of criticism that included members of his own party, Trump signed an executive order ending his own administration's practice of separating families. Hundreds of families have yet to be reunited, and CNN reports that the Justice Department is expected to ask a federal judge in San Diego Friday for an extension on reunification deadlines.

Last weekend, protesters demonstrated in more than 600 cities against ICE and the Trump administration's immigration policies. In Philadelphia, about 3,000 people braved the scorching heat to demand an end to the jailing and separation of migrant families.

The first Occupy ICE camp popped up outside the agency's offices in Portland, Ore., on June 17. ICE was forced to temporarily close the location for almost two weeks after protesters massed outside the building's front entrance. On June 28, at least eight protesters were arrested when police in riot gear raided and dismantled their makeshift camp. Demonstrators have since set up a protest camp outside the building and have infrastructure in place to occupy the area for weeks, according to Willamette Week.

In Philadelphia, police have raided the Occupy ICE camp outside the agency's office on Eighth and Cherry Streets twice, leading to 36 total arrests. On Thursday, police used bicycles to push through the encampment and knock down the protesters' tents and canopies. Protesters have since set up a new camp outside City Hall, evoking the Occupy Wall Street movement that camped there for two months until police broke it up on Nov. 30, 2011.

In New York City, six protesters were arrested on July 4 after hanging a banner across the base of the Statue of Liberty that read "Abolish I.C.E.," which led to the temporary closure of the monument. Therese Okoumou, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Congo, pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor trespassing and disorderly conduct after climbing the base of the statue. Trump referred to Okoumou as a "clown" during a rally in Montana Thursday night.

Earlier this week, protesters in New York City also forced ICE to temporarily cancel a series of immigration hearings due to demonstrators camping outside the agency's office in Greenwich Village.

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Outside of Philadelphia, Portland and New York, Occupy ICE protests have also emerged in cities that include San Francisco, San Diego, Detroit, Louisville and Atlanta.

ICE was created as part of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. According to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, ICE and other DHS agencies are supposed to work "to mitigate the threats presented by the potential for terrorists to enter our country, the effects of undocumented immigration and the potential for illicit substances to enter our nation at our borders and ports of entry."

Under the Trump administration, ICE has shifted its focus from deporting criminals who have entered the country illegally to those with no criminal background. At the U.S.-Mexico border, many families and individuals seeking asylum have been targeted for criminal prosecution for not entering the country at a port of entry. According to the Texas Tribune, numerous asylum seekers who came to international bridges in Texas and California were either separated from their children anyway or were not able to cross the bridge after encountering armed agents.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old former Bernie Sanders volunteer who defeated 10-term incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley in the New York Democratic primary last week, ran on a platform that included abolishing ICE. Ocasio-Cortez's upset has led to more lawmakers speaking out in favor of either eliminating or replacing the agency.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.), a potential 2020 president candidate, was the first senator to call for the agency's elimination, telling CNN host Chris Cuomo two weeks ago that it was time to "reimagine" ICE with a "very different mission." Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), another potential 2020 candidate, posted on Facebook last week that it was time to rebuild out entire immigration system, "starting by replacing ICE with something that reflects our values."

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Rep. Mark Pocan (D., Wis.) said he planned to introduce legislation that would dismantle ICE and form a commission on how best to replace it with a "humane immigration enforcement system," according to a statement from his office. But the bill has no chance of passing as long as Republicans control both houses of Congress.

It's not just politicians who have come out in favor of shutting down the agency. Nineteen senior ICE agents called for the agency's disbandment in a letter sent to Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen.