Hundreds of supporters of immigrants rally outside Rep. Yoder's Overland Park office

More than 300 people rallied outside U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder’s Overland Park office Friday afternoon, calling for Yoder to vote against legislation they see as “anti-immigrant.”

They packed a narrow area close to Yoder’s office, doing their best to avoid scrutiny from police who they worried could arrest them if they got out of line.

“We’re tired of the lies,” said Victor Morales, 24, an undocumented immigrant who helped lead the rally. “We’re tired of being discriminated against.”

The crisis at the Mexican border was what brought the diverse, and angry, group of protesters together Friday. During the rally, their focus shifted from decrying Yoder to criticizing Attorney General Jeff Sessions to calling for abolishing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

‘This current moment we’re living in right now, it’s terrifying,” said Alex Martinez, a DACA recipient who is the director of the Kansas/Missouri Dream Alliance. “To separate children from their parents, to deport model citizens, and to harm communities based off their skin color, it’s disgusting and unjustifiable.”

Yoder was one of many Republican and Democratic lawmakers who condemned the practice of separating children from their parents after they had been caught entering the country illegally.

As national outcry mounted, President Donald Trump on Wednesday backed down from the policy and signed an executive action he said would end the practice.

And earlier Friday, Yoder’s office announced that the congressman had signed onto a bill called the “Family Reunification Act.” Yoder serves as the leader of the subcommittee with budget oversight for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“I’m glad the Administration has heeded my calls to stop separating families and has already worked to get about 500 families back together,” Yoder said in a statement. "We must still finalize long-term solutions to fix this problem permanently and reunite the remaining families. Congress should take up this bill immediately, and if not I will work to see the language is included in my must-pass DHS funding bill.”

But the protesters outside Yoder’s office Friday were still less than pleased with the congressman. Chants deriding Yoder were frequent throughout the rally.

“I think he’s been very opportunistic,” said Amy Viets, 53, of Overland Park. “I think he will say what's expedient to say in order to make it seem as if he cares, and I don’t trust him at all. That’s why I’m here, because we have to keep up the pressure.”

This story was originally published June 22, 2018 at 7:02 PM with the headline "Hundreds of supporters of immigrants rally outside Rep. Yoder's Overland Park office."