Quotes from U.S. immigration protests
By The Associated Press

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

(05-01) 18:52 PDT , (AP) --


Quotes from immigration rallies across the United States on Tuesday:


Oakland: "It's sad to see little kids cry, that's why we are here. ... Everybody here is ready to do this again until they listen to us." Jose Flores, 43, a Guatemalan immigrant who has become a U.S. citizen.


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Los Angeles: "We just want to work. We are people, not animals." Victor Vargas, 23, an illegal immigrant from Mexico.


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Chicago: "Us immigrants aren't pieces of trash, we're human beings." Melissa Woo, a 22-year-old American citizen who immigrated from South Korea.


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Chicago: "If we keep marching year after year, something good will eventually happen." Anna Gomez, 20.


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Salem, Ore.: "Last year, they said they were going to do something, but nothing happened." Luis Diaz, 45, an immigrant from Guatemala.


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Miami: "I came here for the economy. There was no work back home, and now I've not been able to see my baby back home since she was 6 months." Maria Ruiz, a 37-year-old from Honduras in the country on a temporary work visa.


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San Diego: "Go back to Europe, man!" Ignacio Paredes, 39, yelling to about two dozen anti-illegal immigration activists staging a counter protest.


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Boston: "The real tragedy is that there are hundreds of thousands of people who are trying to come here legally." Robert Casimiro, 69, a counter-protester and volunteer with the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps.


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Indianapolis: "The other kids don't respect us because we are immigrants." Brenda Barradas, a 15-year-old student who was born in Mexico and is a legal resident.

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