Apr 9, 2006 6:38 pm US/Central
Immigration Rally Draws Hundreds Of Thousands
DALLAS (CBS 11 News/AP) ―
Hundreds of thousands of people jammed the streets of downtown Dallas Sunday afternoon to march for changes in immigration law.
Crowd estimates vary from 350,000 to 500,000. People crammed the streets calling for immigration reform that would legalize an estimated 11 million undocumented workers.
They banged drums and waived U.S. flags while wearing white clothing to symbolize peach. Marchers included families who pushed strollers carrying children.
Some protesters wore shirts that said "No HR 4437," referring to the House bill passed in December that would build more walls along the U.S.-Mexico border, make criminals of people who helped undocumented immigrants and make it a felony, rather than a civil infraction, to be in the country illegally.
Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle says more than 550 DPD officers were on hand for crowd control. So far officials say there have been no arrests. Kunkle says the added manpower will cost the city an estimated $300,000.
City leaders say they believe this to be the largest demonstration in the history of the City of Dallas.
Among the marchers was Marina Resendiz, a 25-year-old premed student at the University of Texas at Arlington who illegally came to Dallas from Mexico with her family as a teenager and went on to attend public schools in Dallas.
"It's hard to study if you don't have a green card. I graduated third in my class but I couldn't get any scholarships," she said as bells from the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe tolled in the background. "We don't want to be separated from our families."
Demonstrators walked in a procession that snaked more than four blocks to Dallas City Hall. There, Hispanic leaders urge them to remain involved, vote and tell their lawmakers to work on legislation to legalize millions of undocumented workers.
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas was among lawmakers who expressed frustration that they were unable to gain votes for proposals to toughen enforcement or to leave immigration policy unchanged until the border had been made secure.
"The people are watching and they'd better get our message or we're going to kick them out," said Dallas attorney Domingo Garcia, one of the march's organizers.
Organizers also asked demonstrators to show the spending power immigrants have in the economy by not spending money on Monday and closing their businesses or not working if they could afford it. However, they told students to not skip classes and continue getting an education.
Volunteers were scattered throughout the march signing up people who were not registered to vote.
A handful of counterprotesters showed up before the march started, carrying signs that read "Secure our Borders." Organizers of the march later acknowledged them by saying they should talk.
The protest, one of many planned Sunday and Monday across the nation, was held even though sweeping reform legislation that would have given many illegal immigrants a chance at citizenship stalled on Capitol Hill last week.
Event organizers worked hard to make sure things went as planned for the march. Volunteers were trained and equipped with civil rights manuals on how to handle huge crowds.
"We want to be prepared for the worst, but hope for the best," said organizer Jose Delaroch.
Immigration protestors also took to the streets in Downtown Fort Worth. The rally there began at the Tarrant County Courthouse and ended at the Federal Courthouse. Officials say between 15,000 to 18,000 people attended the event.
