Immigrant and human rights advocates, along with religious leaders, plan to hold a vigil on Wednesday outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Miramar to mark International Migrants Day.
The vigil, say organizers, will include “a moment of prayer, reflection, and public witness, honoring the dignity of migrants and calling attention to ongoing abuses within the immigration system.”
Organizers say they want to call attention to the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies since taking office last January.
READ MORE: 'Heartbreaking': Images of ICE agents 'hunting people down' across Broward spur anger
“International Migrants Day is a time to affirm that every person, regardless of immigration status, has inherent dignity and the right to live free from fear,” said organizers in a statement.
“What we continue to see at Miramar and across Florida — including detentions without transparency, people disappearing into the system, family intimidation, and collaboration between local agencies and ICE — violates fundamental human rights.”
“Together, we stand in solidarity with immigrants and people on the move,” organizers said. “We are working toward a world where everyone is free to live, belong, and thrive.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, announced this month it had deported more than 605,000 undocumented immigrants during the Trump presidency. And that 1.9 million people had voluntarily "self-deported."
"DHS has prioritized removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens as part of the Trump Administration’s efforts to return law and order to the United States," said DHS officials in a statement.
Trump administration officials claim that 70% of undocumented immigrants arrested are "criminal aliens" — meaning they have been charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S.
This month, DHS launched a website — “Worst of the Worst." It is a searchable database of apprehended undocumented immigrants convicted of crimes and includes dozens of pages of people arrested in Florida.
