Hundreds of students head to Capitol in solidarity march

9News April 30, 2010CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE SLIDESHOW.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE NEWS COVERAGE.
Hundreds of students from 15 local high schools walked out of class in a solidarity march to protest the Arizona immigration bill. The walkout was organized by several immigration rights groups.
"We all need to stand united because it might happen here too," Francisco Estrada, a student at West High School, said.
Estrada was one of about 100 students who left class at West High School for a rally in Sunken Gardens Park adjacent to the school.
Some students made signs that read "Don't divide us, unite us" and "equal rights." Other students used bullhorns to call other students out of class to join the rally.
"I hope that our voices are heard," said Jose Cansino, another West High School student who walked out.
Many of the students say though Arizona's law does not affect them, they feel connected to the issue.
"We need to show support, stand up for what we believe in," said Estrada, who said he felt attending the rally outweighed the risk of getting in trouble at school.
Around noon, about 100 to 150 Lincoln High School students took to the streets lead by police escort urging them to stay safely on the sidewalks.
Organizers with Padres & Jovenes Unidos, who said they staged the walkout as a show of support for "brothers and sisters in Arizona," are demanding immediate action to reform immigration.
Sen. Dave Schultheis (R-Colorado Springs) says he hopes Colorado will introduce a similar immigration bill next year. He says he and several of his colleagues see the bill as a way for state governments to step up enforcement, and ensure current law is not ignored.
One Lincoln High School student who preferred to remain anonymous said, "We came here because we thought there was more freedom here, more opportunities over here, but now... the situation that we're in, we're not so sure."
There seems to be some differences of opinion between the two sides about what exactly the students were protesting.
Schultheis said of the Arizona bill, "They can stop you if you do something wrong, go through a red light, or if you're speeding. "
The students say they see the bill as it is currently written as racial profiling.
"Basically, anybody that looks illegal is up for question of their citizenship," student Lilly Bresee said.
9NEWS took the question to Legal Analyst Scott Robinson. The meat of the bill reads, "For any lawful contact... where reasonable suspicion exists that the... alien... is unlawfully present... a reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status."
Robinson defines lawful contact to mean interactions between citizens and police officers, including things like minor traffic offenses and being witness to a crime.
"So if a police officer comes up to an individual on the street, and says, 'Can I ask you a few questions?' Most of us would immediately answer, 'Sure,'" he said.
Under the bill, if you say yes, experts say officers can then look into your immigration status.
The bill also has a clause that reads, "Law enforcement officials... may not solely consider race, color or national origin in implementing Arizona constitution."
"What it actually does, it permits consideration of race and ethnicity, its just the suspicion cannot solely be based on that," Robinson said.
Robinson says he expects to see federal challenges to the Arizona statute in the near future.
More immigration rallies are planned for Saturday. Here is a list of many of them:
Boulder1 p.m. to 4 p.m.Courthouse at Boulder Mall
DenverNoon to 2 p.m.Sunken Gardens (11th & Speer, in front of West High School)
Glenwood Springs1 p.m. to 3 p.m.Sayre Park
Montrose1 p.m. to 3 p.m.Centennial Plaza, 433 S. 1st St.
LongmontMarch AGAINST SB 1070 and FOR CIR!10:30 a.m.17th and Main Street, march to Roosevelt Park
YumaLeadership on Immigration Reform: Do our senators make the grade?9:30 a.m.City Park, Haxtun
(KUSA-TV © 2010 Multimedia Holdings Corporation with The Denver Post)