U.S. immigrants flex muscle at rallies; turnout down

Tue May 1, 2007 2:18 PM ET

By Tim Gaynor

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Demonstrators toting placards and bullhorns rallied across the United States on Tuesday to demand rights for illegal immigrants, although the turnout was down from mass rallies a year ago, organizers said.

Demonstrations, consumer boycotts and school walkouts got under way by groups calling for an end to a recent crackdown on undocumented immigrants and better treatment for the estimated 11 million people living and working in the shadows of American society.

A year ago, hundreds of thousands of mostly Hispanic immigrants walked off the job and packed streets of major cities from New England to California in a massive show of their economic clout.

"This is our way to show our presence. We are here, we are working, we are part of America and we are not going away," said activist Lydia Hernandez as she stood among more than 1,300 demonstrators in central Phoenix.

The latest rallies come as U.S. lawmakers are struggling to devise a workable compromise on immigration, seeking a formula to provide tougher border control and workplace enforcement while addressing the status of illegal immigrants.