RALLY VOICES

Message: "I'm a student of history, and I've learned of the economic, political problems [the] U.S. caused in South and Central America. It's no wonder people want to come up here. What's happening now, the immigration, it's like poetic justice, you know?"

· · ·

Rami El-Amine , 35

Country of origin : Lebanon

Lives in : Washington

Family : none

Occupation : tech support for Office of Personnel Management

How'd you hear about the march ? news and other activists

Message: "First the Patriot Act and now this. It will make it more difficult for Arabs to immigrate and give the government more tools to detain and deport. It's criminalization of immigrants."

· · ·

Yolanda Santiago, 55

Place of origin : Puerto Rico

Lives in : Silver Spring

Been in the United States : More than 25 years

Occupation : information technology

Immigration status : U.S. citizen

How'd you hear about the march? friends, colleagues

Message: "We're all immigrants. If I'm all right, but my friends are in trouble, we're all in trouble. This is a country of immigrants. There was a time when papers were denied to the Irish. The Italians, too. And the Jews."

· · ·

Dora Reyes, 51

Country of origin : El Salvador

Lives in : Woodbridge

Family : She and her husband, a truck driver, have temporary protected status; their children, Ingrid, 16, and Nancy, 7, both born in the United States

Occupation : homemaker

How'd you hear about the march? Radio and television, plus information from demonstrations her daughter attended at school

Message: Her children are U.S. citizens and "we don't want to leave them here" and be forced to return to El Salvador. "So we have to fight. We want them to have a better future."

· · ·

Mike Langan , 45

Country of origin : United States

Lives in : Bethesda

Occupation : construction company owner

How'd you hear about the march? employees

Message: "I work with a lot of Latino guys. I stepped in to help out. . . . I'd like to get the [immigration situation] cleaned up and everyone on the same page."

· · ·

Marcella Calderon , 18

Country of origin : Mexico

Lives in : Reston

Family : mother, Roselia Torres

Occupation : Westfield High School student

How did you hear about the march? "It's everywhere," but primarily at church

Message: "I want people to know we're not criminals. We're here to work. We are coming here to make the American dream."

· · ·

Dick Marks, 63

Country of origin: United States; mother emigrated from Canada

Lives in: Silver Spring.

Occupation: Retired manager of health organization

How'd you hear about the march? newspapers and "all the 'peacenik' groups I've joined"

Message: "It's not weird to be white and marching in the crowd. I've marched for peace, against war in Iraq. I got an anti-torture one coming up at [Vice President] Cheney's house on Friday. This is how you support a cause, make your contribution."

· · ·

Maria Isabel Aguilar, 84

Country of origin : El Salvador

Lives in: Hyattsville

Family: two sons, both with her in the United States

Immigration status: U.S. citizen

How'd you hear about the march? son's construction workplace

Message: "Don't treat us like criminals! Because we came for a better life! I'm legal, thank God, but others need the same chance."

· · ·

Kevin Lancaster , 48

Country of origin: United States

Lives in: Frederick

Occupation: Construction

Message: "I have no problem with immigrants coming over here, but you can't open the floodgates. My taxes are paying for their hospitalization and a lot of other things."

· · ·

Carolina Herrera , 41

Family: husband, a press operator for a Virginia printing company; four children, ages 22, 17, 14 and 6

Country of origin: Mexico

Lives in: Manassas

Employment: press assistant for a Virginia printing company

How'd you hear about the march? flier

Message: "We're not criminals. . . . We're uniting so that there will be no more discrimination."

· · ·

Delfino Garrido , 27

Country of origin: Mexico

Lives in: Manassas

Family: single

Occupation: house painter; Northern Virginia Community College student

How'd you hear about the march? Spanish radio

Message: "The Hispanics, we are a force. We work, we're political, we want to prosper. We want America to prosper as well as Guatemala and El Salvador. We're not all bad people."

· · ·

Gabriel Flores, 25

Country of origin: El Salvador

Lives in: Washington

Family: Mother, brother, uncle, cousins

How'd you hear about the march? Hispanic radio stations

Message: "We are not criminals. We are not terrorists. We want to continue to work here. I came out here for my family, for my brother, for my uncle and me."

· · ·

Joshua Lopez , 22

Country of origin: Born in the United States to parents born in Guatemala

Lives in: Washington

Family: parents, siblings

Occupation: aspiring politician

How'd you hear about the march? Community meetings

Message: "We have come here due to unfortunate circumstances in our countries . . . but we are here. We are here to work; we are here to live. We are here to contribute to society. We are here to stay."

· · ·

Silvia Diaz, 46

County of origin: El Salvador

Lives in: Silver Spring

Family: husband, four children

Immigration status: U.S. citizen

Occupation: counselor

How'd you hear about the march? Works for group that organized

Message: "When we come to this country, we don't come to live on this country -- we come to work, to make a decent living. . . . We have adjusted to this country well. We go to school; we have learned the language; we learn the law; we know what the law is. We know the traditions of this country. We celebrate the same way as United States citizens."

· · ·

Scott Brother , 33

Lives in : Clarksville, Va.

Oc cupation : Construction

Message: "I don't want Osama Bin Laden sneaking through the border. I don't want just anyone to come through the border. To be part of the land, you have to follow the laws of the land."

Staff writers Annie Gowen, Hamil Harris, Ernesto Londoño, Nancy Trejos, Paul Schwartzman, Mary Beth Sheridan and William Wan contributed to this report.