John Legend, Chrissy Teigen and others lend star power to U.S. immigration rallies

John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Mira Sorvino and Kerry Washington were among Hollywood heavyweights who attended rallies in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., to show support for the reunification of families seeking asylum at the U.S. border.

"I'm so glad we could all come together with the simple message of keeping families together," said Teigen on stage in L.A. alongside Legend and their newborn. "I'm incredibly proud to be a daughter of an immigrant. My mother grew up in a very small village in Thailand."

Legend performed a rendition on the piano of Marvin Gaye's What's Going On and told the audience: "What does it mean to love the people that we don't know?

"It means your daughter or son, your neighbour's daughter or son, and the daughters and sons of people who live thousands of miles away all deserve the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Thousands gathered at City Hall and marched to a poignant end point downtown: an immigration holding facility. Among those in the crowd were actors Laverne Cox, Laura Dern and Mira Sorvino.

Activists and demonstrators across the U.S. are pressing President Donald Trump's administration to reunite families quickly after media reports over the last few weeks have revealed heartbreaking stories of children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Despite an executive order by Trump to stop the separation and a judge's ruling to halt the practice, thousands of children and parents have still not been reunited.

In Washington, D.C., Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ugly Betty star America Ferrera, singer Alicia Keys and Scandal's Kerry Washington were among those lending star power to the event.