From Los Angeles to New York, and in several cities in between, immigrants and activists marched on May 1st in support of immigration reform, and specifically, a reformed path to legalization for those in the country illegally. When covering immigration, and illegal immigration in particular, members of the U.S. media tend to focus on Mexico. And, indeed, many — but definitely not all — of those involved in the demonstrations represented Mexican immigrant experiences.
Several articles pointed out that protesters waved American flags, perhaps indicating a change in tactics by some participants who have been criticized in previous rallies for displaying Mexican flags. Although turnout was quite high in cities nationwide, including 150,000 participants in Chicago, many journalists noted a relatively lower attendance as compared to last year’s version of the rallies. Though generally without incident, CNN featured “Breaking News” of the Los Angeles Police Department firing rubber bullets at the end of an otherwise-peaceful rally, apparently to disperse the crowd in LA’s MacArthur Park.
Below is a sampling of articles covering the rallies, along with editorials addressing the issues they raise.
Protesters Press for Path to Citizenship (New York Times)
Police subdue some marchers as day of protest ends (LA Times)
Thousands of immigration marchers rally across U.S. (CNN)
‘We’re proud of our lives’ (Chicago Tribune)
Related Editorials:
Lazy, Job-Stealing Immigrants? (Sebastian Mallaby, Washington Post)
Fear of foreigners drives immigration debate (Ruben Navarrette, CNN)
Ultimately, economics will decide immigration (Rebeca Chapa, San Antonio Express)
(Los Angeles Times Photo of the LA Demonstration)
