LOS ANGELES – Immigration rallies held across the country Tuesday produced a fraction of the million-plus protesters who turned out last year, as fear about raids and frustration that the marches haven’t pushed Congress to pass reform kept many home.
In Los Angeles, where several hundred thousand turned out last year, about 25,000 attended the first of two scheduled rallies, said police Capt. Andrew Smith. In Chicago, where more than 400,000 swarmed the streets in 2006, police officials put initial estimates at about 150,000.
Organizers said those who did march felt a sense of urgency to keep immigration reform from getting pushed to the back burner.
“There’s no reason a pro-immigration bill can’t be passed. That’s one of the messages being sent today,” said Chicago protester Shaun Harkin of Northern Ireland, who has lived in the United States as a legal resident for 15 years.
Melissa Woo, a 22-year-old American citizen who immigrated from South Korea, carried a Korean flag over her shoulder as she criticized politicians for “buckling at the knees.”
“Us immigrants aren’t pieces of trash, we’re human beings,” she said. “To be treated as less than human is a travesty.”
Organizers had long predicted lower turnouts for this year’s marches, saying an increase in immigration raids in recent months have left many immigrants afraid to speak out in public. Others believe that the marches have not pushed Congress to pass immigration legislation, and many groups are now focusing on citizenship and voter registration drives instead of street demonstrations.
A few dozen counter-protesters across the street from the Capitol got in a shouting match with some at the rally.
“I want to send them back,” said Phoenix resident George Propheter, who held up a large handwritten sign that read “Hell No.” “I’ve been in the city for 40 years. They’ve completely destroyed our city.”
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