Hourly Update

100,000 protest immigration legislation in Phoenix

PHOENIX - At least 100,000 people -- and maybe as many as 200,000 -- marched through the streets of Phoenix Monday to demand federal immigration legislation to create a path to citizenship for the estimated 500,000 people not legally in Arizona. The march turnout exceeded estimates by the Somos America organizers. Exact counts were difficult to get because some people began leaving the state Capitol even as more continued to arrive. But Scott Phelps, an aide to Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, noted it took three hours for marchers to file past City Hall. Organizers were mostly successful in their pleas to have marchers leave their Mexican flags at home and instead bring only the Stars and Stripes. A prior, less-planned march last month on the Phoenix offices if U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl drew some backlash with a flurry of red, white and green flags. The central message, delivered in both English and Spanish, was that marchers consider those here illegally to be part of this country. Both in signs and speeches, the official theme of Somos America -- We are America -- showed up again and again. As to the size of the march, Phoenix police said the only number that they, the mayor's office and organizers could agree on was more than 100,000. But Lydia Guzman, one of the Somos America organizers, said the numbers may have hit 200,000 or more. Less clear is what percentage of those marching were in this country illegally. Elias Bermudez, one of the organizers, put the figure at upwards of 60 percent. "Our message was that we wanted the undocumented to come out,'' he said. "We wanted them to show their faces, come out of the shadows.'' But Alfredo Gutierrez who also was involved in planning the event said his impression was that it was no more than a third. Gutierrez, a former state senator and one-time gubernatorial contender, said most people without documents remain hesitant to come out of the shadows, even for a march like this. While the stated purpose of the march, one of more than 100 nationwide, was focused on Congress, local politicians and activists used the opportunity to try to galvanize the Hispanic community with the goal of revamping politics in Arizona. And the method of achieving that goal was through a simultaneous voter registration drive. "Today we march, tomorrow we vote,'' said Guzman. "We shall arm ourselves,'' added Gutierrez. "In America, the only weapon that counts is the vote,'' he continued. Gutierrez said those who are eligible to vote must do so to "defeat those who humiliate us and defend those who stand with us.'' And Rep. Steve Gallardo, D-Phoenix, told the crowd that had gathered in front of the House of Representatives "we need your help to change the make-up of this political body in this building behind me.'' Sen. Ron Gould, R-Lake Havasu City, who was watching the marchers, said he's not concerned. "That's fine,'' he said. "We'll call on our constituents to send lawmakers back to the legislature who don't want to give aid and comfort to illegal aliens.'' The voter registration effort drew a raised eyebrow from state Sen. Barbara Leff, R-Paradise Valley, who crafted legislation designed to crack down on and arrest or deport those who entered this country illegally. "Illegal immigration has created several industries that are really frightening and should be frightening to all the people,'' she said. And one of those, Leff said, is the "cottage industry'' of fake documents. "Who knows which documents are real and which are not real?'' she asked, referring specifically to the "today we march, tomorrow we vote'' call of march organizers. "They look real. They're very well done.'' Organizers said Monday night they had no estimate of how many new voters were registered. Guzman acknowledged that registration is only half the task. But she said people can be convinced to actually show up at the polls if they believe there are issues that affect them.