NORWICH - More than two dozen Eastern Connecticut residents, some with signs with the messages #CloseTheCamps, Save the Children and Stop the Separation, made their presence heard Tuesday morning in downtown Norwich in protest of the migrant children and families in federal detention at the border.

The protest, which was called a "peaceful protest" by Alyssa Siegel-Miles, of Ledyard, along with Tracey Burto, of Norwich, began at 11:30 a.m. outside the office of U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, at 55 Main St.

“People all over the country are giving this protest and giving the same demands to their congresspeople,” said Alyssa Siegel-Miles, of Ledyard, who hosted the protest.

The event featured speeches by James Dolan, who shared experiences in Guatemala, and Laura Gray, of Old Saybrook, from the group CT Shoreline Indivisible.

“Our list of demands are: one, that we close the camps,” Tracey Burto, of Norwich, co-host of the protest, said. “These are absolutely horrific. We should not be having these camps,” Burto said. "Our children should not be locked up in these cages and going without basic human rights.”

She said children do not have necessities such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, blankets and that they are sleeping on the pavement.

“It’s just unacceptable,” Burto said. “Our second demand is that we stop donating money. No funding. No nothing. Not one more dollar. And the third is that they release these children and that they reunite these children with their families.”

Protesters spoke with Ayanti Grant, the District Director of Congressman Courtney’s office, and she accepted their letter on his behalf.

She said Courtney was in Texas last year and the office works with Noank Community Services in support programming for minors and families that have been released and are looking for asylum here.

“(It’s) a really long and prolonged process, unfortunately under the new administration, but with the work that we do here in the office, we’re trying to make it as humane as possible,” Grant said. “You know that Joe supports that and has done so much work to try and foster that in getting donations."

Grant said she has handled immigration with the congressman for two years.

She said her family is from Central America and is a first-born U.S. citizen.

“I personally know the struggle and so your words are not lost on Joe, because your words are not lost on me,” she said.

DOCUMENT: Close the Camps Congressional Letter delivered by protesters to Congressman Joe Courtney, D-2nd District (7/2/19)

Grant provided the protesters and the media with a statement from Courtney, dated July 2, 2019, regarding the conditions of migrant children in federal custody.

DOCUMENT: Statement from Congressman Joe Courtney, D-2nd District on conditions of migrant children in federal custody (7/2/19)