More than 100 people gathered in front of City Hall at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 12. They were participating in coast-to-coast vigils to call for an immediate closure of federal detention camps holding refugees in what many consider inhumane conditions. 

“Lights for Liberty,” a coalition dedicated to human rights, organized the protests. Valerie Landau who participated in the Alameda vigil said that protesters chanted “Close the camps,” as drivers and pedestrians cheered and honked to show support.

The protests came a day after Vice President Mike Pence visited two federal detention centers in Texas. An NBC News video showed detainees packed into holding areas surrounded by chain-link fences. Pence said conditions show the crisis at the border and that the system is overwhelmed. Reporters accompanying Pence described the facility as smelling “horrendous,” NBC reported.