PHOENIX — Braving temperatures in the 90s, tens of thousands of protesters Saturday slowly marched five miles to the State Capitol here to rally against Arizona's controversial new immigration law.
There was no official crowd estimate, but the march was by far the biggest demonstration since Gov. Jan Brewer signed the bill into law April 23. The law makes it a state crime to lack immigration papers and requires police to determine the status of people they stop and suspect are in the country illegally.
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 backers, who held their own rally at a suburban stadium Saturday evening, argue that the measure is necessary to protect against violence seeping across the border from Mexico.
Critics including President Barack Obama, whose Justice Department is expected to challenge the law in court, contend the measure invites racial profiling.
Several groups have sued to stop the law from going into effect, but if they do not prevail in court it will be implemented on July 29. It is popular in Arizona and has attracted majority support in several recent national polls.
State Attorney General Terry Goddard, a Democrat who opposed the law and is running for governor, on Friday announced he would defend the state against federal litigation. But Brewer, his likely Republican opponent, Friday night said she didn't trust Goddard and would select private attorneys to handle the case.
Saturday was dominated by the voices against the law, whose march shut down much of this city's center.
Demonstrators came from as far as Rhode Island and Louisiana. They streamed down the broad boulevards in a procession that extended for several blocks.
Dennis DuVall, 68, drove down from the Arizona city of Prescott, 100 miles north.
“It's my civic duty,” said DuVall, a retired bus driver.
