A policy was rolled out earlier this month in response to a jump in asylum cases at the border. Officials claimed that a loophole allows smugglers to claim children as their own. The policy used to be that children would be reunited with their parents after an initial court hearing.

That has changed.

Michelle Brané is with the Women’s Refugee Commission.

"They are literally pulling children away from their parents, physically, after convincing a parent that the best way to minimize the trauma to their child is to stay quiet," she said.

She and other activists are calling for a day of protest Friday at Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices, courthouses, and public spaces across the country.