'We won't let Trump bury the Statue of Liberty': Thousands gather to stage dozens of rallies nationwide in 'first salvo' against Donald's anti-immigrant plans

• e-mail

More than 1,000 people poured into a teachers' union hall in Chicago to support immigrant rights and implore each other to fight for those rights against what they fear will be a hostile Trump administration.

The Saturday rally attracted leaders from various religious faiths, ethnic groups and human rights organizations. 

Many told the audience to fight deportations, a Muslim registry and other efforts they believe President-elect Donald Trump will lead.

People told of fearing deportation. 

Some expressed worries that the Trump administration will prevent relatives — some in some of the most dangerous corners of the world — from joining them in the United States.

Demonstrators gather for a rally supporting immigrant rights in Chicago on Saturday

Thirty-one-year-old Rehab Alkadi says she fears what might happen to her and her family members who fled war-torn Syria because Trump has 'said a lot of bad things about Muslim people.'

A standing-room-only crowd has packed a historic African-American church in Washington for one of dozens of rallies around the nation supporting immigrant rights.

People attending Saturday included immigrants who lack legal permission to be in the country and their relatives and supporters. 

Also present were elected officials and representatives of labor and women's groups. A line to enter Metropolitan AME Church stretched nearly a city block.

Immigrant rights advocates are planning demonstrations across the country in what they're calling a 'first salvo' against President-elect Donald Trump's pledged hard line on immigration

Some expressed worries that the Trump administration will prevent relatives — some in some of the most dangerous corners of the world — from joining them in the United States

Speakers denounced Trump for his anti-immigrant rhetoric and his pledge to build a wall on the US-Mexican border.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, said the American people would not allow Trump 'to bury the Statue of Liberty.'

Immigrant rights advocates are planning demonstrations across the country in what they're calling a 'first salvo' against Trump's pledged hard line on immigration.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Thursday that congressional Republicans are working with the Trump transition team on a solution for immigrants brought illegally to this country as kids.

Hundreds of thousands of these immigrants gained temporary protections and work permits from President Barack Obama.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (left) said on Thursday that congressional Republicans are working with Trump (right) on a solution for immigrants brought illegally to this country as kids

While campaigning for president, Trump promised to undo those protections, putting the immigrants at risk of deportation, although he said last month he hoped to 'work something out' to help them.

Ryan didn't detail what Congress and Trump would do about the program, called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.

But when questioned on a CNN town hall by a woman who identified herself as a DACA recipient with a young daughter, Ryan told her he did not want to see her deported.

'I can see you love your daughter, you are a nice person who has a great future ahead of you, and I hope your future is here,' Ryan said.

'What we have to do is find a way to make sure that you can get right with the law, and we've got to do this in a good way so that the rug doesn't get pulled out from under you and your family gets separated.'

Host Jake Tapper pointed out that Trump, during the campaign, promised a 'deportation force' to round up the more than 11 million immigrants in the country illegally. 

Ryan dismissed that idea.

'I'm here to tell you in Congress it's not happening.'

Instead, Ryan said Trump has asked lawmakers to focus on two priorities with respect to illegal immigration: securing the border and deporting immigrants who are violent, repeat criminals.

House GOP lawmakers and aides have also said recently they're working on how to pay for border security to make good on Trump's promise of building a wall on the border with Mexico, although at least initially taxpayers would foot the bill — not Mexico, as Trump promised.

DACA has extended work permits and temporary deportation relief to more than 700,000 immigrants brought illegally to this country as youths since its creation in 2012. 

Trump has said it and other Obama executive actions are unconstitutional, since they involved going around Congress, a position Ryan repeated Thursday.