Marchers Flood Mall With Passion, Pride

"I don't think it's fair that people who risk everything to come here live in fear that they're going to be sent back," said Vela, 54. "We have humanitarian policies for people in other countries -- why not here?"

Alan Coleman, a D.C. teacher, said he resents the fact that according to immigration reform proposals, "we could get in trouble if we help illegal immigrants, if we don't turn them in."

Coleman was in the thick of the demonstrators, holding a sign decorated with green shamrocks and reading, "We Were All Immigrants Once."

A 15-year-old from Northwest Washington said he joined the rally because he feels that he and his family are threatened.

His parents are illegal residents from El Salvador, and he worries that they could be deported. His mother, who is a custodian at FBI headquarters, and his father, a landscaper in Virginia, have always stressed the importance of getting good grades in school so he doesn't end up like them.

"My mom works from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.," he said. "She's like, 'Stay in school; you don't want to be like me. You're lucky to be born here.' "

Although the crowd was mostly Latino -- speakers' statements were routinely translated from English into Spanish -- people representing other ethnic groups also participated. At 16th and I streets, a coalition of Asian American groups posed for pictures and compared posters as they waited for marchers to reach them.

Many of them compared the present-day legislation they are battling to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the subsequent quotas that limited the number of immigrants allowed into the United States.

"It's something people still remember and think about," said Lisa Hasegawa, director of a D.C. Asian advocacy group whose office cleared out to attend the rally. "I think that history of being excluded and not welcome in the country -- those things resonate with us. We went through it."

Many in the group had worked furiously to prepare for the event. Anh Phan, with the Organization of Chinese Americans, kept rejecting possible slogans for signs until she came up with a winner -- a poster of panda celebrity Tai Shan with the caption "Butterstick is the son of immigrants!"

"Well, if we're being precise, it would be 'son of temporary guest workers,' since they're going back," Phan said.

The group Arabs for Immigrant Rights also participated. Rami El-Amine, an information technology worker for the federal government, formed the group two weeks ago to ensure that Arab Americans would be represented at the rally. Badia Albanna, 32, of Takoma Park brought her 4-month-old daughter, Sama Jahmila, who was wearing a pink shirt with a white peace sign.