New protests over immigration law

Thousands of California students walked out of class today, and large crowds in Detroit marched toward the city’s downtown as immigrant supporters continued nearly a week of street protests against proposed immigration reforms.

In Washington, where lawmakers were discussing immigration legislation, about 100 demonstrators wore handcuffs to protest a proposal to criminalise aid programmes for immigrants.

Protesters organised by immigrant supporters including the Roman Catholic Church have rallied in cities across the country over the past week, loudly objecting to legislation that would make it a felony to be in the US illegally, impose new penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants, and build fences along part of the US-Mexican border.

Some immigration experts estimate that 40% of illegal immigrants enter the country legally and then overstay their visas.

More than 500,000 gathered in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, and tens of thousands rallied in Phoenix and Milwaukee last week.

Today, at least 800 students walked out from eight Los Angeles-area schools, said Monica Carazo, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

By midmorning, the protests spread with hundreds more students were walking the streets and chanting.

Officials at Huntington Park High School locked the gates after classes started, but the students climbed over a chain-link fence and joined marchers in their heavily immigrant community.

In Detroit, thousands of protesters waving Mexican flags marched from the southwest side of the city where many Latinos live toward a federal building downtown.

“We are illegal immigrants if you trace our heritage all the way back, but we are here and we are working and we are living the American dream,” said Janet Padron, a 22-year-old Allen Park resident who participated in the Detroit rally.

“Do you see the community,” Padron asked, pointing to the thousands of people surrounding her. “Do you see how many people didn’t go to work today?”