May 1, 2007 8:50 am US/Pacific
May Day Immigration Rallies Get Underway In L.A.
LOS ANGELES (AP) ―
Thousands of protesters -- many waving American and Mexican flags -- are gathering at City Hall for the first of the immigration reform rallies planned for Tuesday in Los Angeles.
Public school teacher David Cid said he came to support his students. He said they "feel terrorized" because of recent raids that have impacted their families.
Los Angeles Unified School District spokeswoman Monica Carazo said 640 students have walked out of 12 schools in the district compared to 51,000 LAUSD students walking out last year.
Another march is planned for later Tuesday afternoon in Koreatown.
It will head to MacArthur Park for an early evening rally.
In Oakland, about 2,000 people marched to City Hall.
The marches throughout California are among the rallies and voter registration getting underway all over the country to demand a path to citizenship for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants.
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