MIAMI — Immigrants and their families gathered at rallies across the country Friday to push for changes to U.S. immigration policy, but as a swine-flu outbreak continued to spread, attendance at some events was smaller than organizers had hoped.
The area hardest hit by the swine flu is Mexico, also the native home of many rally participants. There were no reports of canceled events.
Organizers sought to channel the political muscle Latinos flexed last fall for Barack Obama into a new cause: jump-starting stalled efforts to forge a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S.
They had hoped crowds would equal or exceed those of last year, which was down from 2006, when a stringent immigration bill poised to pass in Congress drew massive protests. But early reports suggested turnout would be far lower than in previous years.
In Miami, more than 300 minority-rights activists joined with union officials in one of the first local immigration rallies to be endorsed by the AFL-CIO.
“We are not just here for the immigrants, we are not just here for the workers,” said Maria Rodriguez, head of the Florida Immigrant Coalition. “We are here for all the families who deserve a better life. Immigrants will not be pitted against union workers — our fates are intertwined.”
Thousands were expected at events in Houston, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Chicago, New York and other cities — mostly in the late afternoon, when workers finished their shifts.
In Colorado, a march was planned today in Greeley, the site of a 2006 federal raid at a meatpacking plant in which 261 undocumented workers were detained. Greeley is also the place where dozens of illegal immigrants were charged with identity theft last year for filing taxes using false or stolen Social Security numbers. County judges have since ruled tax records are confidential, but the decisions will be appealed.
