Activists hold hunger strike to protest Trump immigration policy

Activists have launched a hunger strike to protest the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy at the southern border.

USA Today reported that the hunger strike, partially organized by the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization, began Saturday near a federal courthouse in McAllen, Texas, where many immigrants detained for illegally crossing the border are referred for prosecution.

The strike will reportedly last for 24 days to represent the roughly 2,400 children forcibly separated from their families after being apprehended at the border.

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Protesters will fast for 24 hours before handing off to someone else.

Actors Levar Burton, Alec Baldwin and Martin Sheen are all participating in the hunger strike, as are 10 members of the House and a senator, according to the newspaper.

Kerry Kennedy, who runs the RFK Human Rights center, will also fast as part of the strike.

“Today, we have a president who has a different idea of what it means to be an American,” Kennedy told USA Today after visiting the federal courthouse in McAllen.

The Trump administration implemented its zero tolerance policy at the border earlier this year as part of its crackdown on immigration enforcement.

Trump signed an executive order last week ending the widely criticized policy of separating immigrant families at the border.