TAMPA, Fla. -- Families belong together. 

• Thousands gathered in Bay area communities to protest immigration family separations
• Marches, demonstrations in Tampa, Gulfport, Spring Hill and Lakeland
• Large crowd in Tampa gathered at courthouse square in protest of the zero-tolerance policy

That was the messaged delivered by thousands across the country Saturday and in multiple Bay area communities.

The Washington D.C. crowd was one of the largest nationwide in the latest act of mass resistance against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

Large crowds gathered throughout the day across the Bay area, including in downtown Tampa. 

Demonstrators wore white, held signs and marched at courthouse square in protest of the zero-tolerance policy that resulted in many immigrant children being separated from their parents. 

The President has backed away from the family separation policy amid bipartisan and international uproar, and those marching Saturday demanded the government quickly reunite the families that were already divided.

"This is not right - they shouldn't separate children," said a demonstrator who only identified herself as Frances. "Asylum is not illegal. They should come here and they should be put together and helped. That's what America is about right?"

Similar sentiments were echoed in Gulfport, Spring Hill, Lakeland and Sarasota Saturday afternoon. Despite the wet weather, crowds gathered to show their support for immigration change. 

"Get the government's attention," said Gulfport demonstrator Mark Edwards. "Say, hey, listen this is not right what you're doing and get your act together."

"If you're going to divide all these families you better have a plan to put them back together," he added.

President Trump took to Twitter Saturday afternoon to show his support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid calls from some Democrats for major changes to the agency. 

Tweeting from New Jersey, Trump urged ICE agents to "not worry or lose your spirit." He wrote that "the radical left Dems want you out. Next it will be all police."