COLUMBUS (WCMH) — The immigration crisis at the southern border of the United States has triggered emotional responses in Washington, D.C. and across the country.

This evening, thousands of people are expected to gather to protest the treatment of immigrants in detention centers.

Those protests will take place in hundreds of cities, including some here in Ohio.

More than a dozen protests are planned throughout Ohio for Friday evening, including one at the Statehouse in Columbus, starting at 7 p.m.

“This is a way that we can come together because there are so many of us who are just sick to our core about what our government is doing to children,” said organizer Tiffany Rumbaski.

Vigils planned in hundreds of cities this evening come in response to the reports of overcrowded detention facilities along the southern border.

In some cases, reports of limited access to food, showers and other basic necessities as well as outbreaks of illnesses.

The Lights for Liberty vigils are meant to draw attention also to the policies that have allowed children to be separated from their parents and held for long periods of time.

We’re angry and we need to come together in solidarity just to stand up for children, to stand up for moms and dads because people at the border are just like us,” Rumbaski said.

Other locations for protests in Ohio tonight include all the major cities as well as Westerville, Athens, and the Morrow County Jail in Mount Gilead.