Thousands rally against Arizona''s tough new immigration law

(26 Apr 2010) SHOTLIST 1. Wide of rally against new immigration law 2. Protestors chanting and waving US flags 3. Close of protestor with megaphone chanting with crowd 4. Close of protestors holding US flags and chanting 5. Wide of protestors listening to speaker on stage 6. Protesters listening and cheering, one holding banner reading (English) "Where is Obama''s help!!!" 7. Mid of protestors 8. Close of protesters holding signs reading (English) "We are human" and "We have rights" 9. Pablo Alvarado, Director of National Day Laborer Organizing Network, talking to protestor 10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Pablo Alvarado, Director of National Day Laborer Organizing Network: "People are suffering in this state and all over the country, so Obama has the ability to step in and say we are going to stop this suffering. In the past when people of colour were being persecuted, the government came in, the federal government came in, and protected people of colour, vulnerable people. So, Obama is doing completely the opposite. He''s giving them tools to build more, to create more bias throughout the country." 11. Mid of protestors 12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Edwina, no last name given, protester: "It''s very encouraging that Obama spoke out on this, I think he understands that this is a federal approach to immigration policy and that if the individual states do these things, they might do it in a wrong way, which is what Arizona has done, and so I have a lot of hope that the Justice Department will look into the passage of this bill and will say that it''s the wrong approach and declare it null with federal policy." 13. Protestors beating drums and marching towards rally 14. Protestors walking along pavement, police officer watching 15. Protestor carrying sign reading (English) "Stop the hate" STORYLINE Thousands of protesters descended on Arizona''s Capitol building on Sunday to rally against a tough new immigration law they say will lead to police harassment of legal immigrants and US citizens who look Hispanic. Civil rights advocates have vowed to challenge the law in court, saying it would undoubtedly lead to racial profiling. Governor Jan Brewer signed the bill into law on Friday. It requires police to question people about their immigration status, including asking for identification, if they suspect someone is in the country illegally. The law also toughens restrictions on hiring illegal immigrants for day labour and knowingly transporting them. Supporters have dismissed concerns of racial profiling, saying the law prohibits the use of race or nationality as the sole basis for an immigration check. Brewer has ordered state officials to develop a training course for officers to learn what constitutes reasonable suspicion someone is in the US illegally. She said critics of the bill were "overreacting." Pablo Alvarado, director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, who attended Sunday''s protest, called on US President Barack Obama to "step in and say we are going to stop this suffering." Obama has called the law "misguided" and instructed the Justice Department to examine it to see if it is legal. Another protester said she hoped the Justice Department would "say that it''s the wrong approach and declare it null with federal policy." US Representative Raul Grijalva, a Democrat, who opposes the measure, has called on businesses and groups looking for convention and meeting locations to boycott Arizona. He addressed the protest rally on Sunday, asking Obama to fight the law and promised to march in the streets and invite arrest by refusing to comply. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...