Ongoing marches and rallies have been popping up around the country, with one on Elon University's campus and another in North Carolina's capital.
These people weren't so much as marching, but rather standing for their cause. Their main goal is for their voices to be heard.
Saturday's "No Ban No Wall" rally brought hundreds of people outside Raleigh's legislative building. Speakers included a refugee from Uganda and immigrants battling with getting government documentation. Many pointed out that nobody chooses to be a refugee. One of the speakers remarked on his battle with getting papers, saying there were only two choices: stay in America working a minimum wage job or go back to his own country.
One of the rally's attendees was Ciara Henihan, a first generation American. "I am the daughter of immigrants both my parents came to the US for my dad to go to school here," said Henihan. "I have three passports, but I never get any trouble from anyone because I’m white and I look like I could be from America."
The crowd was diverse in religion and race, among other things. Several members of the Muslim Student Association at NC State attended. Mohammad Omary, president of the organization, said there is a new worry for Muslims on their campus.
"It’s just that fear that’s now embedded into a lot of the Muslims in our community at NC State," said Omary. "That fear is, okay, it’s...midnight, I can’t go outside and walk by myself. So, to deal with that, we’re just trying to unite together and fight that fear."
The association's vice president, Mohanad, reminded other protesters, "Prophet Mohammed said, 'love for your brother what you love for yourself.'" He continued, "Today, we’re all Latino. We’re all women. We’re all Muslim. It’s just, this address of unity is unique in itself."
Whether or not they were personally impacted by the recent executive orders, the people united in peace and solidarity for Muslim, Latino, refugee and immigrant communities.
"I’m concerned for the welfare of not just myself but everyone," said Sydney Thomas, a student from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at the rally. "I see everyone as an extension of myself and I feel that if I don’t fight for the rights of other groups, that makes it possible to marginalize anyone that I care about, and that’s just not something I’m going to take lying down."
Some attendees were protesting for a different cause than the majority. Several UNC students were holding Trump signs, and one was holding a "Don't Tread On Me" flag. Although their protest was silent, it raised a lot of attention among the crowd. They wouldn't speak to anyone, even those attempting to hold a dialogue about the executive orders. Many people were calling out to them, "What do you stand for?" and asking if they support President Trump's most recent actions.
Otherwise, the rally was peaceful, but loud. The chants the crowd wants everyone to remember are, "No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here" and "This is what democracy looks like."