US: Dozens of American cities have seen mass protests against a proposal to introduce harsh penalties for illegal immigrants and those who help them and to build a fence along the US border with Mexico.
Tens of thousands gathered on Washington's Mall, close to the Capitol, many wearing white and shouting pro-immigrant slogans in Spanish and English.
The demonstrations came three days after Republicans and Democrats in the senate failed to agree on a Bill that would have given most of America's 11-12 million illegal immigrants the chance to stay in the country legally and eventually become US citizens.
Senators will consider the issue again after the Easter recess, but last week's failure to come to an agreement has dimmed hopes of a comprehensive immigration reform before November's congressional elections.
Macuna Alercon, legislative co-ordinator of Mexicanos Sin Fronteras, one of the groups behind the march in Washington, told The Irish Times that demonstrators wanted to send a powerful message to legislators.
"We believe, as the government level, employers and businesses recognise, that migrant workers are the bedrock of this economy and sustain the economy of this country, and the best way for this to be recognised is for these workers to be given the same rights as any citizen. At least the congress will understand after these marches that these 11 or 12 million people can no longer be ignored," she said.
President Bush, who favours a guest worker programme that would allow most illegal immigrants to remain in the US, at least temporarily, welcomed yesterday's demonstrations.
"It's a sign that this is an important issue that people feel strongly about," he said.
An estimated 500,000 people demonstrated in Dallas on Sunday and organisers predicted that as many as two million could take part in yesterday's protests in almost 100 cities.
Ms Alercon said the response from illegal immigrants to yesterday's day of action was greater than anything she expected.
"Some people from a poultry factory called us and said 'how can we go to the march?' I said, you can report sick. They said, 'there are 1,000 of us.' I said someone might notice that. But they said, 'we don't care, we're going on the march anyway'."
Ms Alercon acknowledged that many Americans on low incomes blame illegal immigration for depressing wages but said that most of those who came to the US were fleeing poverty.
"People are looking for a way out of a situation in which in Mexican cities they could be earning $5 a day and in the countryside, you have people living on as little as $1 a day. People see coming here as a way out of poverty in these countries," she said.
"It isn't a conflict between poor people from different regions but a means of survival."
Republicans are deeply divided over immigration, with many conservatives calling for tough enforcement policies and rejecting what they see as an amnesty for millions who entered the US illegally.
Party strategists fear that a hard line on immigration could alienate America's growing number of Hispanic voters, an anxiety Ms Alercon believes is well founded.
"A lot of people don't realise that in the case of immigrant families you have a mix of status. In many families you have people who are American citizens, people who are legally resident and people who are undocumented, all part of the same family. Those who are citizens are going to vote in support of their families and of the Hispanic population," she said.