They are gearing up in Chicago. Wonder what kinds of numbers they will have this year? I imagine they will do what they have done at the past few marches including; war activists, gay marchers, socialists... to inflate the numbers.


Chicago immigration march: Advocates for illegal immigrants to push for reforms
March in Chicago Loop is set for May 1 and advocates seek legislation

By Antonio Olivo | Tribune reporter
April 1, 2009

In what has become an annual rite of spring, immigrant advocates announced plans Tuesday for another march through downtown Chicago on May 1 to push for federal reforms on behalf of those in the country illegally.

"They've done much to resolve the problems of the banks, the auto industry and all the other corporations, but they haven't figured out how to resolve the problems of the people," march organizer Jorge Mujica said about Congress during a news conference. "We want a resolution for not 25,000 people, not 50,000 people but all 12 million of the undocumented workers in this country."

Where community frustration helped draw crowds of several hundred thousand demonstrators since the marches began in 2006, plans for this year's rally through the Loop come as federal policies toward Immigration enforcement appear to be shifting from raids that have affected thousands of families.

This week, Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed an imminent shift in enforcement guidelines toward employers with illegal workers and away from the laborers. Last year, about 367,000 illegal workers were deported, with about 11,000 around Chicago, federal records show.

With movement in Congress to reintroduce legislation later this year that would create a path toward legalization for illegal immigrants, activists on both sides of the issue are gearing up for another fight. The "Dream Act" would create conditional legal status for undocumented college students.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 0790.story