Protesters in Vancouver demonstrate against Trump's emergency declaration

by Keaton Thomas, KATU News and KATU.com Staff

VANCOUVER, Wash. –

Protesters critical of President Donald Trump's national emergency declared Monday in Vancouver.

About 100 people gathered at Esther Short Park.

Trump declared a national emergency last week after Congress only partially funded what he wanted for the construction of a border wall.

Mary Laski, one of the organizers, said the president had overstepped his authority.

Former congressional candidate Carolyn Long called the project wall vanity.

"Failing to achieve what he wanted through the regular democratic process, he declared a national emergency," she said.

Enid Schantz has just moved to Portland after spending five years on the southern border of Texas.

"We lived it. We saw it. It's not an emergency, "Schantz said. "The urgency is the environmental damage done, the racism it represents, the waste of taxpayers' money."

But others said that a wall is needed. Oregonians for Immigration Reform said the national emergency was needed to fund it.

"We can not let anyone who wants to come to our country, without checking that they are here for good reasons, to enter our country," said Jim Ludwick.

A similar gathering is scheduled along the waterfront in downtown Portland around 5 pm.