(Image source from: azfamily.com)

The immigrant rights advocacy group 'Puente' held a rally Monday afternoon in front of the Sandra Day O'Connor Federal Courthouse in Downtown Phoenix.

A group of about 100 advocates marched at the capitol and held a press conference demanding that the recent 'zero-tolerance' policy on the separation of families at the U.S. Mexico border be stopped immediately.

"Our government doesn't represent me at all, I do not want to tear families, criminalize families and we need to take a great look at how we are as a society in doing so and what we are doing about it," said Jovanna Renteria, a legal advocate for Puente.  

The families showing up at the Rio Grand Valley border are mainly from Central American countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Renteria said it is important to remember why these families are showing up at the U.S. Mexico border.

"We need to go back to 'why they were fleeing their country'... and they were fleeing their country because they were running from violence, whatever it may be, and they come here and we do the same thing to them," she added.  

Several children, including 10-year-old, Araiza Washington, whose father was deported, were speakers at today's rally.

The group also stated that the separation of families goes back to a time before the Trump administration, going back to the Obama era.

Others in attendance included people like Shannon Brien, who felt compelled enough to make her way to the courthouse and stand up for what she believes is wrong.

"To just express my frustration and my anger... and also hoping that Arizonan's realize that they can call Senator Flake and Senator McCain ....to do something about this there is some legislation in congress to end this type of family separation," said Brien.

By Lokesh