For the second day, thousands of mostly Latino immigrants and their supporters gathered in downtown Salt Lake City Monday, waving American flags and echoing the call of the late civil rights leader Cesar Chavez with chants of "Si Se Puede" — "Yes, it can be done."
Between 2,000 and 4,000 people participated in the "Unity Rally" at the City-County Building, calling for citizenship for illegal immigrants. They joined hundreds of thousands of protesters in cities across the country Monday.
"We're just here for our rights. Everyone deserves the same rights as everyone else," said Anna, a 14-year-old immigrant from El Salvador.
On the second day of protests, speakers called for immigration reform that includes legal status for the undocumented. On Sunday, more than 25,000 participated in a "Dignity March" to the state Capitol, according to the Salt Lake City Police Department. After two days of rallies, police reported only one minor scuffle on Sunday and no arrests.
"The answer is to work together," Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff told the crowd.
He said, in Spanish, that he is not Latino, but his heart is.
"These folks believe in America and they believe in free speech," Shurtleff told the Deseret Morning News. "They have not had a voice. They have a voice here today."
Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson called for immigration reform that includes security, economic prosperity and compassion for everyone.
"We can and we must achieve far greater humanity," Anderson told the crowd. "We must all join together in insisting our nation can do better."
On the other side of the complex, police separated about 50 members of the anti-illegal immigration group, Utah Minuteman Project, from a handful of people who police said were not attached to either group.
Most Minutemen said they attended to support America's laws in a call for tighter border security, saying they were opposed to illegal immigration, not Hispanics nor immigration in general. However, some had strong feelings about what they saw as anti-American sentiments.
"I'm demonstrating against the Hispanic bigots who are taking over our country and destroying our law," said Eli Cawley of South Salt Lake. "If we don't make a stand, we're in real trouble, and we may as well give up."
Michael Clara, a Unity Rally spokesman, said he is encouraged that the U.S. Senate is considering comprehensive reform. He noted many of the protesters, including hundreds of students who walked out of class last month, are U.S. citizens and "they are ready to vote."
The Senate recessed last Friday after failing to act on a last-minute compromise reached by leadership. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, has criticized the failed proposal as one that had shut off debate.
"One of the things that makes this country great is our tradition of free speech and the ability of each and every citizen to petition the government on issues of importance," Hatch said. "That being said, it is clear we will only be able to pass an immigration bill if there is more consensus, and such consensus, I believe, must begin with security at our borders and then a compassionate and legal solution of these problems."
E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com