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Hundreds of immigration supporters wave U.S. flags at a state Capitol rally. Secretary of state officials estimated that more than 2,000 people attended the event. (Photo by Wesley Brown) 
Hundreds of immigration supporters march up Capitol Avenue toward the steps of the state Capitol. (Photo by Wesley Brown) 
A lonely protester rails against illegal immigration at a state Capitol rally. Jonathan Adams of Little Rock was one of only a handful of people at the Monday rally that did not support allowing undocumented immigrants to have a chance at citizenship. (Photo by Wesley Brown) Hundreds protest U.S. immigration policy at state Capitol Tuesday, Apr 11, 2006 By Wesley Brown Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Hundreds of flag-waving, sign-carrying immigration supporters rallied at the state Capitol on Monday, protesting what called unfair federal legislation that would make criminals of undocumented workers in Arkansas and across the nation. Organizers stirred the crowd with passionate speeches, prompting chants of "Si, se puede" - Spanish for "Yes, it can be done" - that reverberated several blocks away. The rally, organized by a group called the Arkansas Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, was among 136 nationwide Monday that were expected to draw two million people to show support for the Hispanic community and an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. In Little Rock, several hundred demonstrators marched about a mile from Saint Edwards Catholic Church to the Capitol, where they converged with hundred more on the Capitol steps. There, speakers used bullhorns and a crowd estimated at more than 2,000 loudly protested U.S. immigration policy, alternately in English and Spanish. Monsignor Scott Friend of the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock, warned U.S. lawmakers that God's wrath would fall on the nation if they allowed their "fearing of losing stuff" to dictate immigration policy. "This is a place that God has blessed. It is hope for the world," Friend said. "If we allow (racism) to continue, then we are walking away from God, and the little that we have well be taken away and given to others." Other speakers urged public and elected officials to support comprehensive immigration reform legislation developed by U.S. Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and John McCain, R-Ariz. At a news conference with Hutchinson in Rogers, McCain said he opposed legislation that "rewards people for breaking the law" but supported a compromise that would require illegal immigrants to pay a fine and back taxes, then "go to the end of the line for citizenship." At the Capitol, Cesar Compadre, director of the Latino outreach group La Casa, told the crowd that the Arkansas coalition strongly opposed legislation pending in the U.S. House that would make it a felony to be an undocumented immigrant and punish churches and charities for aiding anyone that enters the U.S. illegally. "The social and economic impact of our broken immigration system is staggering," Compadre said. "We need a just and realistic immigration reform now. Immigrants came to Arkansas looking for a better place to live. These immigrants are now making Arkansas en even better place to live." Amid a sea of immigration supporters, one sign-carrying anti-immigration demonstrator taunted protesters as they marched up Capital Avenue. "Go home and fix your own country," shouted Phillip Adams, a 24-year-old Little Rock resident. Anyone living illegally in the U.S. should be deported, he said. In an interview, Adams said he was tired of illegal immigrants coming into the U.S. and opposed any legal paths for them to earn citizenship. "Listen, most of them don't even speak English," he said. "If they are illegal, they shouldn't be here." Later, Adams waded into the middle of the large crowd, holding a sign that read: "Go back and fix Mexico." His taunting was drowned out by the large chanting crowd. The largely Hispanic crowd remained peaceful throughout the rally, which lasted about two hours. Dozens of uniformed and undercover state and local policemen that were dispersed throughout the crowd reported no trouble. During the rally, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive was cut off from local traffic as policemen on horseback patrolled the streets surrounding the state Capitol. Protester Richard Dominguez, who sold ice cream and Popsicles on the capital during the rally, said Congress needs ease immigration restrictions or provide a way for undocumented immigrants to earn citizenship. "All we want is dignity and respect," Dominguez said in Spanish. He does not speak English. A man in the crowd who carried Mexican flag said he was a native of Mexico and admitted that he entered the U.S. illegally, but said his children were born in the U.S. and are now American citizens. His son wore an Arkansas Razorbacks cap. "We have lived in Arkansas for several years and have harmed no one," said the man, who declined to give his name. |
