At least 2,500 marchers rally in Las Vegas for immigration reform

Outrage and hope were the prevalent emotions among the at least 2,500 who participated in Saturday's immigration march along Las Vegas Boulevard.

Outrage over a controversial new Arizona law that would make it a state crime to be in the county without legal papers.

Hope that comprehensive immigration reform will move forward this year, despite President Barack Obama's statement earlier in the week that lawmakers may lack the "appetite" to take on the contentious issue in an election year.

"Obama needs to keep his promise" to enact immigration reform, said Arturo Gonzalez, 49, who marched with his wife and 14-year-old son. "It's the promise he made to get our votes."

Missing from the march was Gonzalez's 29-year-old daughter and 3-year-old grandson, who were deported to Mexico two months ago, he said.

"We've never been separated. We're crying all the time," he said, adding that reform would "help keep good families together."

The marchers wore white T-shirts, waved American flags and carried signs which read, "Boycott Arizona" and "Obama, keep your word." They chanted phrases such as "Obama, escucha, estamos en la lucha!" and "Si se puede!" -- "Obama, listen up, we're in the fight!" and "Yes, we can!"

They made their way west along Sahara Avenue from Commercial Center to Las Vegas Boulevard, then north on the Strip to the Lloyd George U.S. Courthouse where they held a candlelight vigil and rally -- a distance of about 3 miles.

Police shut down westbound Sahara and northbound Las Vegas Boulevard to accommodate the marchers.

Along the way tourists and workers lined the sidewalks to snap photos and watch. Most cheered the marchers. Some jeered. Passing drivers honked and pumped their fists out of their open windows. Brides and grooms posing outside Strip wedding chapels paused while the marchers passed. A man waiting at a bus stop yelled, "Go back to Mexico!" before complaining that his bus would be late because of the march.

Similar demonstrations took place in cities nationwide, held on May 1 because it is traditionally a day of protest and is International Workers Day. About 300 people marched at a similar event in Reno earlier in the day.

Local immigration reform activists have for months been organizing rallies, hosting vigils and lobbying congressional representatives to address immigration reform this year in a way that keeps families together and provides a path toward citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

Many feel betrayed by politicians who made election promises in 2008 to address immigration reform but have yet to do so.

"Voters need to put their (politicians') feet to the fire," said long-time local immigration attorney and activist Vicenta Montoya, who donned a full Statue of Liberty costume for the event. "We desperately need reform, sooner rather than later."

Montoya and others criticized Arizona's new law, saying it is unconstitutional, promotes racial profiling and will make people less likely to cooperate with police during investigations.

"It disgusts me," Montoya said. "It's a form of racism directed at people of color, specifically Latinos."

"They are discriminating against us," said Esperanza Arellanos, 43, who marched with some friends and her Chihuahua, Chiquita. "If you are brown in Arizona, you are a target."

Several federal lawsuits against the Arizona measure have been filed, and opponents promise more are to come.

Supporters of the law say it is necessary to protect Arizonans from crimes committed by undocumented immigrants, and that the federal government has failed to enforce immigration laws. Arizona is home to an estimated 460,000 illegal immigrants and is the nation's busiest gate for people slipping into the country.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on Friday signed a bill that modified the law, saying the changes would make it clear that racial profiling is illegal and would bar race from being used by officers enforcing the law.

But many said the amendments are meaningless.

"They change nothing," said Michael Flores, Southern Nevada director of Reform Immigration for America.

Adriana, a young mother who declined to give her last name, said she's afraid a law like Arizona's will come to Nevada. She worries that unless immigration reform comes soon, she'll be separated from her children, ages 2 and 3, who are U.S. citizens.

"I'm happy to pay a fine, prove I speak English," she said, fighting back tears. "I want my children to grow up here. They are Americans."

But Adriana and others expressed doubt that anything on the immigration-reform front will move forward in the coming months.

"It could be next year or five years," Arrelanos said. "But still we must fight."

Flores rallied the crowds, insisting it's not too late to hope for reform in 2010.

"We're going to change the country," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis@reviewjournal.com.