Chanting "Yes, we can!" in English, Spanish and French, a crowd of mostly Hispanic men and women gathered near Maryland's State House last night in hopes of stemming what they say is a growing backlash in the legislature over illegal immigration.
Participants in the rally, held on the eve of another round of General Assembly hearings on immigration bills, lighted several hundred candles and cheered local legislators and advocates, and national civil rights leaders. Most of the measures seek to curb or cut off benefits to those who cannot prove they are in the United States legally.
"I think it's pretty sad that a country that has been built by immigrants now looks at immigrants today as something bad for this country. I think it's a double standard," said Angelo Solera, 45, a Baltimore resident from Spain who was once an illegal immigrant but now is a U.S. citizen. "Most of us are in this country working and paying taxes and making a contribution to this country."
The Maryland Minuteman Civil Defense Corps asked the federal agency that polices immigration to send representatives to the rally to check whether the participants - who were bused to the capital from all over the state - could prove their legal status.
A spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said agents would not attend the rally, adding: "We don't work that way."
Some legislators decried the rally.
"This is the lawmakers for lawbreakers rally," said Del. Patrick L. McDonough, a Republican who represents Baltimore and Harford counties. "Essentially, they are supporting legislation that aids and abets illegal aliens."
This year, McDonough proposes to make it a criminal offense for legislators to enact laws that help illegal immigrants. His is one of nearly 30 pieces of legislation dealing with immigration issues.
The measures scheduled to be discussed today in two Senate committees include one bill seeking to cut off all public benefits to undocumented immigrants except those that are required by federal law, such as public schooling or emergency medical treatment; multiple bills dealing with Maryland's practice of giving driver's licenses without requiring proof of legal status; and a measure making it more difficult for criminal cases to be dismissed if courts cannot find interpreters.
