Activists, opponents clash at immigration rally

Clashing with opponents in a few heated exchanges at a Copley Square rally, activists called yesterday for comprehensive immigration overhauls that include fair wages, respect in the workplace, and in-state college tuition and driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants.

''There are so many cases of immigrant workers not being paid wages or being paid under minimum wage," said Elena Letona, executive director of Centro Presente, an immigrants' rights organization based in Cambridge that works with the Latino community. ''They've been the most exploited workforce."

The rally included appearances by Councilor Felix Arroyo and Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who said that one in four city residents was born outside the United States.

Gerthy Lahens, 53, who is studying urban planning on a fellowship at MIT, said coming to America has provided her children with greater opportunities than they would have had in Haiti. Her daughter recently graduated from MIT, and her son is at Boston College.

''We will make America the best country it can be," she said. ''I came here to give myself and my children another chance in life, and that's the dream of all immigrants. This is our home, and we will stay."

The event also drew about a dozen protesters.

Mark Sookop, 40, a financial planner from Lincoln, held a sign that read, ''Illegals steal jobs." Beside him stood his 5-year-old son with a sign that read, ''I don't want my college spot given away because I'm American," referring to a bill on Beacon Hill that would allow undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition at state colleges instead of out-of-state tuition.

''They have a lot of nerve to say they want the same rights as Americans when they are illegals," Sookop said.

The two sides occasionally exchanged views.

Ralph Filicchia, 69, a Watertown resident who was shopping in the city yesterday, criticized the expansion of immigrant rights as he made his way through the crowd.

Spotting a sign written in Spanish, he asked the woman why she did not write it in English. Later, he engaged in a heated debate with a small group of Asian-Americans about undocumented immigrants gaining access to healthcare benefits.

''They are costing us millions of dollars," Filicchia said after the exchange. ''It's a drain on the country."

Michael Liu, 56, an Asian-American researcher who debated Filicchia, said that immigrants contribute more to the economy than they receive in government benefits. ''My parents were immigrants," he said. ''I feel immigrants have a right to earn a decent living and be free of harassment."