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Close to three hundred kids gathered at the state capitol today, asking lawmakers to stop immigration reform.

Most of the kids are US citizens but some of their parents aren’t. They fear immigration reform legislation would break up their families. Sixteen year old Cecilia Perez traveled to Tallahassee from Clearwater Florida. She says if the bill passes there’s a bigger chance that her mom would be deported.

“My dad is a citizen and my mom is not. I’m an American citizen. I was born here I was raised here and I don’t want to be separated from my family,” said Perez.

The legislation would make it easier for local law enforcement officers to become immigration agents through the federal 287 (g) program. Once the officers are federalized they could then check the immigration status of people under criminal investigation. Many of the protestors oppose the bill because they fear it would lead to racial profiling.