AP Online
04-20-2006
Dateline: DENVER
North High School students walk out of class and march towards the state Capitol to a rally to support immigrant rights in Denver, Wednesday, April 19, 2006. Waving U.S. and Mexican flags and clogging a thoroughfare, hundreds of high school students descended on the state Capitol Wednesday. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
Waving U.S. and Mexican flags, hundreds of high school students descended on the Colorado Capitol Wednesday for a rally in support of illegal immigrants.
About 2,500 marchers jammed Denver's Speer Boulevard on Wednesday morning and temporarily blocked other intersections as they headed toward the Capitol, but no major problems were reported, police spokeswoman Virginia Quinones said.
"We are not trying to hurt your country," said Jorge Macias, a high school sophomore who said he is a U.S. citizen. "It is big enough for everyone."
The march was the latest in a string of rallies that have drawn tens of thousands of demonstrators across the country as Congress considers immigration reforms. Many of the demonstrators have said they want more immigrant-friendly policies and oppose a measure that would make it a felony to enter the country illegally.
Police said the Denver students had obtained a permit for the rally. Arvizu Derr, 17, who helped organize the event, said students at a number of area high schools helped promote it through mobile-phone text messages, Internet posts and fliers.
Denver Public Schools officials were not as enthusiastic about the demonstration.
Schools spokesman Mark Stevens said principals and teachers had discouraged students from participating and that absences would be considered unexcused. Any discipline will be handled on a student-by-student basis, he said.
Gov. Bill Owens, who was not at the Capitol during the march, said he believes the students are sincere but noted their demonstration was in the middle of a school day.
"I'd be much more impressed if I saw these students out marching on a Saturday," Owens said.
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