Protesters march to Ariz. Capitol

May 30, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

PHOENIX

Thousands of people from around the country marched to the Arizona state Capitol on Saturday to protest the state’s tough new crackdown on illegal immigration.

Marchers carrying signs, banners and flags from the United States and Mexico filled a five-mile stretch of central Phoenix. Dozens of police officers lined the route, and helicopters hovered overhead.

Police declined to estimate the size of the crowd, but it appeared at least 10,000 to 20,000 protesters braved temperatures that were forecast to reach 95 degrees by mid-afternoon.

Opponents of the law suspended their boycott against Arizona and bused in protesters from around the country. Volunteers handed out water bottles from the beds of pickup trucks, and organizers set up three water stations along the route.

About 20 people were treated for heat- or fatigue-related symptoms, and seven of them were taken to a hospital, said Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Tommy Thompson. There were no arrests or other incidents, he said.

The law’s opponents also gathered elsewhere. About 300 people rallied at the Texas Capitol in Austin, and another 300 people protested at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City demanding legalization for undocumented Mexican workers in the United States.

In San Francisco, groups planned to protest at the Arizona Diamondbacks’ game against the Giants on Saturday night.

Supporters of Arizona’s law expected to draw thousands to a rally of their own Saturday evening at a baseball stadium in suburban Tempe, encouraging like-minded Americans to “buycott” Arizona by planning vacations in the state.

The law requires that police conducting traffic stops or questioning people about possible legal violations ask them about their immigration status if there is “reasonable suspicion” that they’re in the country illegally.