Hamilton musical creator Lin-Manuel Miranda dedicated a special song to parents separated from their children at the U.S.-Mexico border as he joined thousands of people, including fellow celebs, at the Families Belong Together rally in front of the White House.
The demonstration in Lafayette Square was broadcast on CNN and other outlets and was one of hundreds held nationwide in protest of the Trump administration's immigration policies. Miranda took to the stage to perform an acapella version of the song "Dear Theodosia," a moving lullaby about parenthood from Hamilton.
"We're here because there's parents right now who can't sing lullabies to their kids," Miranda told the crowd before singing the song.
In Hamilton, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr sing "Dear Theodosia" to their children. Sample lyrics include, "You will come of age with our young nation / We'll bleed and fight for you, we'll make it right for you / If we lay a strong enough foundation / We'll pass it on to you, we'll give the world to you / And you'll blow us all away."
"Don't stop, don't give up until these families are reunited," Miranda said after finishing his performance, according to CNN.
"The moment the audience came in with the countermelody will live in my heart forever. Thank you. #KeepFamiliesTogether," he later tweeted.
At the rally, he was joined by singer Alicia Keys, her son Egypt, and actress America Ferrera.
The women took the stage to read letters from a grandfather and a mother pleading for the release of their detained family members.
Kerry Washington, Alysia Reiner, Amy Schumer and Padma Lakshmi took part in the New York City protest.
At the Families Belong Together rally in Los Angeles, Chrissy Teigen introduced John Legend to the stage, where he performed a new song called "Preach."
"I know that opening up Twitter right now feels like it could be a horror show. So much of the news is shocking and maddening and depressing. I think some of us have a strong temptation to just disengage. But we can't. We can't do that. I can't do that," Legend told the crowd. "I have to do something. Here's a song I wrote called 'Preach.'"
President Donald Trump seeks to crack down on illegal immigration and restrict legal immigration.
In May, his Republican administration implemented a "zero tolerance" policy in May to prosecute all immigrants apprehended for entering illegally, which has led to the separation of more than 2,000 children from their parents. This has sparked an outcry among both his critics as well as many of his allies.