Thousands hold immigration march and rally in Boston

BOSTON --Thousands of immigrants and their supporters, waving American flags as well as the banners of their homelands, filled Copley Square on Monday to call for fairness for undocumented immigrants.

The event, which included a march from Boston Common, was part of a national day of action billed as a "campaign for immigrants' dignity."

Organizers estimated the crowd at 8,000, while police estimated 5,000 to 7,000 protesters.

Boston City Councilor Sam Yoon, who was born in Seoul, South Korea, spoke of the immigrant experience to a cheering crowd at Boston Common.

"Yes, we were strangers in this strange land but now we are part of this land and we are proud to be here," Yoon said.

Cardinal Sean O'Malley, archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, addressed the crowd at Copley in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

He said the nation needs an immigration policy that's efficient and orderly but at the same time "must be based on the cornerstone of the dignity of every human being."

"This country is great because it is a country of immigrants who come here from all over the world bringing their talents, their energies," he said. "And for that reason God has blessed this country."

Among the boisterous but peaceful demostrators was Gareth Doherty, 23, who said he is an undocumented immigrant from Ireland.

"I came out to support the immigrants and to support the senators (John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.) so they can get us legal status," said Doherty, who works in the construction industry.

With an overhaul of immigration law stalled in Congress, demonstrators urged lawmakers to help an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants settle legally in the United States.

People carried signs saying, "Justice and respect for all immigrants," and "Today we march, tomorrow we vote."

A small plane flew over the rally carrying a banner that said, "Enforce immigration laws: No amnesty."

Sonia Guzman, 34, emigrated from El Salvador 12 years ago and now works at an immigrants' advocacy group, helping people find jobs.

"I came here for work," the Boston resident, who is documented, said as her 13-year-old son Francisco stood at her side. "The immigrants are not criminals. I would like amnesty for all immigrants."

Massachusetts is home to an estimated 200,000 or undocumented immigrants, according to estimates from the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies.

"We're telling the elected officials 'We are America' and 'America depends on us,'" said Ali Noorani, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, one of the organizers of Monday's event.

Pro-immigration groups lost a local battle in January, when the Massachusetts House rejected a bill that would have let undocumented immigrant students who graduate from Massachusetts high schools pay the same in-state tuition at state colleges as Massachusetts residents.

Noorani said the bill will be reintroduced, but that the groups' current focus is on pushing lawmakers to approve extra state funds for organizations that walk immigrants through the citizenship process.

Many immigrants can't afford the $3,000-or-so cost of hiring an immigration lawyer, he said, and need help from nonprofits.

Massachusetts has the seventh largest documented immigrant population -- comprising 14 percent of all residents, according to MassINC and the Center for Labor Market Students at Northeastern University. Documented immigrants in the state's workforce have nearly doubled to 17 percent in the past 25 years.

Most are coming from Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and China. One in five new documented immigrants to Massachusetts between 2000 and 2004 came from Brazil, according to MassINC.