Immigration
rallies occur across nation on Tuesday

Demonstrators demanding a path to citizenship for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, including an untold number of gays and lesbians, hope that nationwide marches will spur Congress to act before the looming presidential primaries take over the political landscape.

Marches, meetings, and voter registration drives were planned Tuesday from California to New York, a year after 1 million flexed their economic muscle in a nationwide boycott during last year's May 1 activities.

Though this year's turnout will likely be lower, organizers say immigrants feel a sense of urgency to keep immigration reform from getting pushed to the back burner by the 2008 presidential elections.

''If we don't act, then both the Democratic and Republican parties can go back to their comfort zones and do nothing,'' said Angelica Salas, director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. ''They won't have the courage to resolve a major situation for millions of people.''

Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean was scheduled to speak in Miami to a coalition of immigrant groups, while Ricardo Chavez, the brother of famed agricultural labor leader Cesar Chavez, was expected address crowds in Milwaukee.

In Washington, D.C., about 400 members of Asian groups from across the country were set to make a lobbying push with lawmakers.

Organizers in Chicago had to scramble to get the word out after police on Monday moved the site of their rally from Daley Plaza in the heart of downtown to Grant Park along the lakefront. Police said Daley Plaza was too small for the expected crowd of more than 7,000 marchers.

''They announced the decision first and then they called us to consult us,'' said Jorge Mujica, a spokesman for Chicago's March 10 Movement group. ''It doesn't make sense.''

In New York, groups planned an ''American Family Tree'' rally, where immigrants would pin paper leaves on a large painting of a tree to symbolize the separation of families because of strict immigration laws.

The event is a response to a White House immigration reform proposal in March, said Chung-Wha Hong, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition.

That plan would grant illegal immigrants three-year work visas for $3,500 but also require them to return home to apply for U.S. residency and pay a $10,000 fine. It has been roundly criticized by immigrant groups.

Two large demonstrations were planned in Los Angeles County, home to an estimated 1 million illegal immigrants. Some groups in the area have called for an economic boycott and hoped for a repeat of last year, when thousands of immigrants and students stayed away from work and school in a sign of solidarity.

Other groups have rejected the boycott, arguing it puts immigrants' livelihoods at risk and deprives children of valuable classroom time.

Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Cardinal Roger Mahony, head of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Los Angeles, both strong immigrant supporters, urged students to stay in school.

Despite divisions over tactics and other issues, immigration groups and supporters said the diverse events will show the movement is stronger than ever.

''Just because the 12 million people who don't have legal residency don't attend a march doesn't mean they don't want it,'' said Eduardo ''Piolin'' Sotelo, a popular Spanish-language disc jockey. ''I tell my listeners that no matter what they do, just don't stop doing something.''

After last year's protests, reform legislation stalled in Congress, and bipartisan proposals for illegal immigrants to gain citizenship have been watered down.

Organizers said Tuesday's turnout will be lower because stepped-up raids in recent months have left many immigrants afraid to speak out in public--a major change over rallies in 2006 when some illegal immigrants wore T-shirts saying ''I'm illegal. So what?''

''These raids have torn apart families,'' said John Crockford, a member of the Central California Coalition for Immigrant Rights.

In Fresno, organizers planned a rally focusing on children whose parents had been deported. The San Joaquin Valley is home to thousands of seasonal workers who work illegally each year in the fields and construction industry.

In Los Angeles, marches were set to include demands for a legalization program, a stop to the raids, and an anti-Iraq War message. City and transportation officials were planning for as many as 500,000 people in downtown, believing it could be the largest in the city so far this year. (Peter Prengaman, AP)