Protestors rally in favor of immigration reform

Carrying American flags and crosses representing immigrants who died trying to enter the U.S., scores of Hispanics and others rallied in Alba Park in downtown Medford Thursday to call attention to immigration issues and the need for legislative reforms.

The protest was held in conjunction with annual May Day marches nationwide. In Salem, 2,500 people gathered in front of the Capitol to protest a new driver's license law they say punishes immigrants. They also called for major changes in federal immigration and workplace laws.

At Alba Park, participants held signs saying, "We bring values and hard work to this country. We are Americans, too. Support immigrants" and "Immigrants built this nation," among other sentiments. Some wore buttons with the words "Stop corporate greed" and "Jobs with justice," referring to wages paid to immigrants for harvesting the nation's fruit and vegetables.

After a series of speeches and Indian drumming, the crowd marched downtown. Passersby honked their horns, some in support, others screaming to the crowd, "Go back to Mexico."

Speakers in Salem demanded rollback of a decree codified by the Legislature in February — Senate Bill 1080 — that requires applicants for driver's licenses to prove legal residence in the country.

Rep. Chip Shields, D-Portland, urged the crowd through an interpreter to support legislators who opposed the driver's license restrictions. He said the bill missed the target, and described many immigrants as economic refugees of globalization and regional trade pacts with Latin America that are harming Latin America's agricultural base.

Tension arose at the Capitol when two young men displaying a Mexican flag stood in front of a large banner that read, "If you are in my country illegally you only have one right and that is to leave."

Several police stood near the banner to control the tension, and the two left soon after.

In Los Angeles, tens of thousands gathered at City Hall to demand an end to blanket raids on work sites. The number was much smaller than two years ago, when May Day drew more than 500,000 supporters. Widespread fear of government raids was blamed for the lower turnout, along with the immigrant movement's shift in focus to boosting citizenship applications and voter registration.