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Thousands march in Phoenix to protest immigration law
Hoping to turn their frustration and anger into action, tens of thousands of protesters against Arizona's new immigration law marched on the state Capitol Saturday and urged the nation's leaders to hear their pleas.
"We must stand together for justice, opportunity and peace," said U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz., at the mid-afternoon culmination of what was a peaceful demonstration on the Capitol grounds. "What we need in the United States is not scapegoating immigrants."
Sarahi Uribe, a representative of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, which helped organize Saturday's event, said her California-based group participated to send a message to Washington, D.C. "We have a very clear demand that President Obama stop Senate Bill 1070," she said.
An official crowd estimate was not available. Phoenix police declined to give an official tally, but officers overheard on the police scanner estimated the crowd at about 30,000. Uribe said the march drew about 100,000.