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)
