Little Saul Arellano will be a speaker at todays protests.

May 1, 2008 11:11 AM (18 mins ago) AP

Immigrant rights activists join protests nationwide

CHICAGO (Map, News) - Thousands are expected to gather in Chicago's Union Park to demand rights for immigrants.

Activists from New York to Los Angeles will hold similar events Thursday to push for comprehensive immigration reform - including ways to citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.

Chicago speakers will include Saul Arellano (ah-ray-AH'-noh). He's the nine-year-old boy who lived with his mother at a Chicago church for a year. He's a U.S. citizen but his mother, Elvira Arellano (el-VEE'-ruh ah-ray-AH'-noh), was an illegal immigrant and was deported to Mexico last year.

Crowds are expected to be much lower than the past two years. In 2006, Chicago's May 1st rally was the largest in the country, with more than 400,000 marchers.

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