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Small rally for immigrants' rights met by opposition
By: Victoria DeMaria
Posted: 5/2/07
A little more than a year after a rally in support of immigrants' rights drew thousands to Boston Common and Copley Square, a sparse crowd of supporters who rallied on the Common yesterday were joined by a considerably large number of opponents to their cause.

Most of the approximately 300 demonstrators at the May Day Demonstration for Immigrant Rights stood under an array of international flags, calling for the immediate legalization of all undocumented immigrants. But their calls were sometimes matched by a smaller group, draped in red, white and blue that instead rallied for the deportation of undocumented immigrants and their families.

Though the demonstration did not include the large number of activist organizations that gathered at last year's rally, many said they attended to offer support without a particular association with any special interest group.

Jamaica Plain resident Khury Petersen-Smith pointed to recent data from a USA Today/Gallup poll that reported 78 percent of Americans polled favor the legalization of undocumented immigrants.

"We need to organize people and turn a majority into an active majority," Petersen-Smith said.

Gavi Bogin-Farber, who carried a sign that read, "No human being is illegal," came to the rally from Manhattan with the group Teens Acting for Social Change because she disagrees with the way she said immigrants have been portrayed in the media in the past year, as raids and new laws seeking to crack down on immigration laws have taken the spotlight.

"[The media] doesn't look at why immigrants come [to the United States]," Bogin-Farber said. "They're coming across the border to support their families, to come for a better life for them and their children. They're dehumanized by being called illegals."

A smaller group at the rally called for stricter border control and no amnesty for undocumented immigrants. Many carried placards bearing the name of U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), a strong opponent of illegal immigration. During the demonstration, one person favoring stricter laws for undocumented immigrants who wore a sombrero and waved maracas danced in front of the activists on the gazebo.

"There's nothing wrong with immigrants coming here -- just do it the right way," said Beverly firefighter Robert McClory, who dressed as Uncle Sam and carried a sign that read, "Illegal immigrants take American jobs down."

McClory admitted if he faced the same opposition as undocumented immigrants did, he would likely demonstrate in the same way. He said, however, there must be some means of curbing the flow of undocumented immigrants, because he has seen severely overcrowded apartments owned by undocumented immigrants when he has responded to several calls.

Schools are becoming overcrowded as well, he said, adding teachers have to work at a slower pace to cater to students who do not speak English as their first language.
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