Demonstrators in Philadelphia joined hundreds of thousands of people across the country yesterday in calling for politicians to protect immigrants' rights.
The Philadelphia rally, organized by the region's Day Without an Immigrant Coalition, marked the city's second immigrant-rights rally this year, following a work stoppage Feb. 14.
Police estimated that about 7,000 people attended the event at Love Park, making it by far the largest rally the city has seen this year.
Around 30 Penn students carried banners and beat drums while marching down Locust Walk and into Center City to join the rally.
One of the marchers, Penn Asian-American Studies professor Ajay Nair, said he recommended that students in two of his classes attend the rally.
"We've also invited community folks to come and talk about immigration," Nair said. "I've been getting my classes mobilized."
Several students from Drexel University and a bagpipe musician from Center City joined the march along the way.
At the rally, demonstrators voiced their opposition to a bill that would impose harsher penalties for illegal immigrants and people who help or employ them. However, the Sensenbrenner-King Bill, which cleared the House in December, wasn't the main focus of the rally.
"The important thing now is that we're supportive and come together as a group," Day Without an Immigrant spokesman Brad Baldia said.
More recently, a bipartisan immigration bill that would give most illegal immigrants a chance to become citizens and includes a guest-worker program was introduced in the Senate, but has since stalled.
But Baldia said that organizers didn't arrange the rally to support any specific bill.
He added that Philadelphia has been important in fostering the debate over the legislation.
"Philly is unique because we were one of the first ones to start this dialogue," Baldia said. "A lot of different cities look to Philly -- lots of different organizers would call us up."
American flags dominated the rally, in contrast with the event in February, where demonstrators mostly brought the flags of their home countries.
"We made sure that we had a consistent message ... and a whole lot of American flags," Baldia said. "Before, the media would show someone with a different flag, and people wouldn't understand why we're here."
Though most of the rally was led in Spanish, organizers made an effort to have demonstrators use some English chants as well, adding, "God bless America" to the popular, "Si, se puede" or, "Yes, we can."
Similar rallies took place throughout the country in San Antonio, Texas; Chicago; Denver; Las Cruces, N.M., Los Angeles; Milwaukee; New York; Tucson, Ariz.; and Washington, D.C.
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