Thousands of marchers took to Denver streets Tuesday for the second annual May Day immigration march, pushing for an end to law-enforcement raids and for policy reform.
More than 10,000 immigrants and their supporters marched from Lincoln Park through downtown to Cuer navaca Park near 20th Street and Little Raven. Early police estimates put the crowd at about 2,000, but witnesses and organizers said they counted between 10,000 and 15,000 people.
“It shows that people are really ready for a change,” said Gabriela Flora of the American Friends Service Committee. “The raids have created a lot of fear but also gave people courage to come out and say, ‘This is not the solution.”‘
Recent raids in Greeley and southern Colorado affected nearly 300 families and have left advocates upset about children left behind, parents deported and communities left to fill in the gaps.
Juan Mercado knows why people break the law to work. He did it once too, before becoming a legal resident. Those years of work and taxes should count for something, he said.
“You break the law out of necessity, and then you have years here of contributing to the government, and if they don’t help people, the country does not progress,” said Mercado, 54.
For Maria Bernal and her husband, Cuauhtemoc Bustillos, both 31, the issue is personal. He is undocumented, and she is a U.S. citizen from Texas. Their three children are U.S. citizens.
“If my husband were to get deported,” Bernal said, “it would affect us deeply.”
Last year, more than 75,000 people marched on Civic Center to push for reform. Later, a special session of the state legislature produced some of the toughest state immigration laws.
Along with organizers Rights For All People and Colorado Coalition for Immigration Reform, the Colorado Council of Churches, Veterans for Peace and the Muslim American Society participated, among others.
“We must all stand and fight for the things that are the most important to us, families,” said Hashim Malik of the Muslim American Society.
Comprehensive immigration reform includes a pathway to legalization for undocumented workers and family reunification, organizers said.
From Washington, U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., said he is working on the issue of immigration reform.
“Like President Bush, I believe we must reform our immigration laws in a manner that meets America’s needs for the 21st century,” he said in a statement.
A handful of protesters walked with flags, and one shouted, “We speak English.”
Dave Leo of Littleton waved an American flag and held up a sign: “Illegals not welcome.”
“We have certain laws in place today that don’t allow illegal immigrants to enter our country, therefore, they should not be here,” he said.
Vicki Anderson and Lisa Drangshott marched with signs that said, “Teachers for Immigrant Rights.”
Teens and children were with their families, having taken absences from classes.
One of those was high school sophomore Berlinda Garcia, 16.
“My dad came here illegally to fight for us, so we could be successful and educated,” she said. “We want Congress to know we are here to do something with our lives.”
Staff writer Felisa Cardona contributed to this report.
