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Immigrant rally draws 900 supporters, 100 opponents

11:34 AM Mountain Standard Time on Monday, September 4, 2006

By The Associated Press

PHOENIX -- By late morning today, about 900 immigrant-rights supporters came to the Arizona Capitol in a peaceful demonstration of what they called government inaction on fixing America's broken immigration policies.

One hundred advocates for limiting immigration also came to the rally.

The event drew significantly fewer participants than this spring's immigrant rallies in Arizona, the largest of which drew 100,000 marchers on the streets of Phoenix in April.

At today's rally, immigrant supporters chanted "We are America," and carried signs with slogans such as "American at Heart, Immigrant by Necessity."

Although some advocates for limiting immigration shouted "Go back home," and walked through a crowd of immigrant supporters, there were no exchanges or confrontations between the two sides.

Rally organizers say immigrants should be recognized because they contributed significantly to the economy.

Advocates for limiting immigration say the government has sold its people out in not adequately confronting illegal immigration.