A deported immigrant rights activist and her eight-year-old son led parallel rallies for immigrant rights Wednesday in Washington and Tijuana. Elvira Arellano was deported to Mexico last month following a year of refuge inside a Chicago church. On Wednesday, Arellano led dozens through Tijuana’s streets calling for an end to the U.S. government crackdown on undocumented immigrants.

Elvira Arellano: “The call that I made to be in Washington, D.C., on September 12 was important. I was deported, and this was where I was deported. Hundreds of families are separated here every day.”

Meanwhile, in Washington, Arellano’s son Saul led a chanting crowd of more than 150 people through the Capitol building. Saul Arellano joined with a group of other children to carry a banner reading: “Born in the USA. Don’t take our moms and dads away.”