Labor Day rally
Immigrant rights supporters fill the intersection outside the Capitol in Phoenix, as advocates for limiting immigration stood with signs in the background, during a peaceful demonstration Sept. 4.

About 900 immigrant rights supporters gathered at the Arizona Capitol by midday Sept. 4 in a peaceful demonstration of what protesters called government inaction on repairing America’s failed immigration system.
The event drew significantly fewer participants than immigrant rallies this spring, when immigrant supporters showed their political muscle at demonstrations in Arizona and across the country. The largest rally in Arizona drew 100,000 marchers on the streets of Phoenix in April.
As it considers massive changes in immigration policy, Congress is divided over whether to focus solely on border security or whether to offer immigrants the chance to become U.S. citizens.
“We are here to tell Congress that, especially on Labor Day, they ought to think about laboring for the American people to fix the broken immigration policies,” said Roberto Reveles, president of Somos America, a coalition that organized the Labor Day rally. “The people who are coming here are coming to labor for the economy.”
Immigrant supporters chanted “Si se puede! (It can be done)” and “We are America” and carried signs with slogans such as “American At Heart, Immigrant By Necessity.”
The rally also drew 100 advocates for limiting immigration. Although some counter-protesters shouted “Go back home” and walked through a crowd of immigrant supporters, there were no exchanges or confrontations between the two sides.
Counter protestors: ‘taking away what belongs to Americans’
Michelle Dallacroce, founder and president of Mothers Against Illegal Aliens, said the government has sold out its people in not adequately confronting illegal immigration.
“These people are violating our laws, and they are taking away what belongs to Americans,” Ms. Dallacroce said. “They come down here on our Labor Day and march on our Capitol. It makes me want to vomit.”
Construction worker Jose Lopez said he came to the rally as a way to protest the unfair treatment of immigrants.
“(The counter-protesters) think what they want, but they are more illegal than we are,” Lopez said. “They come from Europe. We come from the Americas.”
Immigrant rights supporters waved flags, most of which were American but some of which were Mexican. Tables were set up for registering people to vote.
“What we are trying to do out here is get the government to notice us,” said Esbeydi Tovar, a volunteer in the voter registration drive. “If we do not speak, nobody will listen.”
Israel Melchor, who came to the rally with his wife and two young daughters, said immigrants who want a better life in the United States shouldn’t have to live in fear of immigration authorities.
“I want everyone else to get legal, that way they can enjoy the good things about being citizens,” Mr. Melchor said. “If we are legal here, we can live a lot better than in Mexico.”
In putting together Phoenix’s huge immigrant rights march in April, organizers had aimed to show support for a proposal to create a path to U.S. citizenship for illegal immigrants. The march was the largest demonstration in state history.
A march two weeks earlier had drawn 20,000 people on Phoenix’s streets. That demonstration was propelled by opposition to a proposal in Congress that would make it a felony to be an illegal immigrant in the United States.
An economic boycott in Arizona was held on May 1 to show the role that immigrants play in the economy.
While an estimated 4,000 people turned out at rallies on the day of the boycott, it was unclear how many businesses were affected. Several restaurants, hair salons and discount stores were closed for the day.
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