Another immigrant march in the works

Date, message it will send to people, under discussion

Myung Oak Kim, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 30, 2006 at midnight

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Local activists are planning what is likely to be another massive march and rally to push for compassionate treatment of the country's immigrants.

The plan is to march Sept. 30, said Ricardo Martinez of the Denver activist group Padres Unidos, which was heavily involved in the large but peaceful May 1 and March 25 downtown Denver rallies.

But organizer Jennifer Herrera said the details are still being decided and could change.

"There are definitely people meeting to discuss a plan for a march," she said Tuesday.

The march is part of a wave of national events starting Labor Day intended to pressure Congress to pass immigration reform that gives illegal immigrants a path toward legalization, Martinez said.

Herrera said local organizers are still deciding on which message the local demonstration should take and which groups to align with.

On March 25, an estimated 50,000 people marched to Civic Center in downtown Denver. On May 1, a similar march and rally drew about 75,000 people.

To longtime local Hispanic community activists, the marches signaled a new civil rights movement and a newfound public voice for Hispanic immigrants who had long lived in the shadows.

But opponents of illegal immigration say the marches drew deep resentment and fueled their campaigns. Since the spring, state lawmakers passed about 17 laws aimed at cracking down on illegal immigrants, including the landmark HB 1023, which is considered one of the toughest laws in the country regarding access to public benefits.

By the numbers

50,000 people marched to Civic Center in downtown Denver March 24. On May 1, a rally drew about 75,000 people.

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