by Christopher Sanchez
Daily Lobo
About 1,000 people rallied at the National Hispanic Cultural Center on Sunday in support of immigrant rights.
Demonstrators at the rally included Mexican immigrants and local activists. The event was in correlation with the National Day of Action for Immigrants, which is a day of demonstrations across the country.
Protesters were told to wear white to represent peace and unity, said Rachel LaZar, an organizer of the event.
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"We're showing social justice for all people," LaZar said.
She said the purpose of the rally was to demand comprehensive immigration reform and a path to citizenship for undocumented workers.
There were not any people protesting the rally, but police officers were present to ensure it was a peaceful event.
UNM student Bryan Evans attended the event to show opposition to House Bill 4437, which, among other things, would make it a felony to be an illegal immigrant or to harbor one.
"We can't tolerate this inhumane bill," Evans said. "We need to make sure it doesn't happen."
Evans said there is more unity in the immigrant rights demonstrations than the movement against the Iraq war.
There were numerous speakers at the event, including two Mexican immigrant workers.
"We may not speak English, but we work hard," said Guadalupe Dom°nguez. "How are we going to win this fight? We unite."
After each speaker, the crowd shouted "Si se puede," which is Spanish for "Yes we can."
Speakers encouraged demonstrators not to buy anything on Monday to display how immigrants are important to the economy.
Mariachis were also present to provide entertainment for the crowd.
Albuquerque resident Luis Sosa said people, not politicians, are the ones who can make a difference.
"We have to come together to demand rights," Sosa said. "People have been coming together from the beginning. If we it weren't for the people, we'd have a dictatorship."
There shouldn't be any borders to divide countries, he said, because people should be able to go anywhere they please.
"It's part of being on Mother Earth," he said.
UNM student Melissa Romero said she attended the demonstration to show support for immigrants and for Latinos.
"It's good to keep visible," she said. "By not being visible, nothing is going to be done."
Highland High School student Stacy Calderon said she attended the event with a group of students to support immigrant rights.
Calderon said there are planned walk-outs at Highland and at other high schools around the city around lunchtime.
"We're working together to have a peaceful thing," she said.
Albuquerque was one of several cities that had demonstrations over the weekend, including a reported 500,000 people rallying in Dallas on Sunday.
