| Rain, date change blamed for poor turnout
Wednesday, May 17, 2006; Posted: 10:33 p.m. EDT (02:33 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Dozens of critics of proposed immigration reform measures waved American flags at a rally near the Capitol as senators debated legislation on the contentious issue Wednesday.
The rally was sponsored by the National Capital Immigration Coalition, a bloc of immigrant, religious, civil rights and business groups, mostly from the Washington area.
"Our goal is to stop anti-immigrant legislation from becoming law and to pass real, comprehensive immigration reform that provides a clear path to citizenship, unites families and ensures workplace and civil rights protections," according to the coalition's Web site.
A CNN reporter estimated that 300 people participated in the rally, instead of the thousands that organizers hoped for.
Turnout for the three-hour rally was lower than expected, organizers said, because not everyone received word that the protest had been moved from Friday to Wednesday because of the Senate session.
Rain was also a factor. A march to the Capitol was canceled because of the bad weather.
The Senate on Wednesday kept alive a proposal that would allow some of the roughly 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States to work their way toward legal status and eventual citizenship. Conservatives had tried to kill the provision.
Senators also agreed to build 870 miles of fencing and vehicle barriers along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border.
They unanimously approved an amendment to exclude illegal immigrants with a criminal record or those deemed dangerous from the legalization process, along with people who already have been ordered to leave the United States.
Proponents call the legalization program "earned citizenship," while opponents denounce it as "amnesty" for illegal immigrants.
CNN's Juan Carlos Lopez and Eric Fiegel contributed to this report. | |
