



[Updated at 1 p.m.: Tens of thousands of immigrant rights demonstrators rallied in downtown Los Angeles and across the country Saturday to protest a tough new anti-illegal immigration law in Arizona and stalled legislative reforms in Congress.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Cardinal Roger Mahony joined the crowd and were among the speakers at the rally.

The mayor took the stage to raucous cheers, taking a moment to groove to the live band on stage before addressing the crowd. Speaking in English and Spanish, he called Los Angeles a bilingual city and expressed strong support for immigration reform.

Villaraigosa recounted the story of his grandfather who immigrated to the city in the early 1900s. He drew loud cheers when he expressed support for the thousands of illegal immigrants who have documented children at war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Afterward, Mahony spoke, saying "everyone in God's eyes is legal. We are all standing with our immigrant brothers and sisters."]

The hearts and minds of many of the demonstrators were with their counterparts in Arizona.

Arizona lawmakers recently passed legislation that would allow police to check the legal status of people they suspect are illegal migrants. Officials said the law, which takes effect this summer, was needed in part to safeguard against violent Mexican drug cartels.

One man in the crowd wore a white T-shirt with black block letters reading "Todos Somos Arizona" or "We are all Arizona." Another bobbed a sign over the crowd with a swastika scrawled in between the names of Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who strongly supported the new law.

Union members blew horns and chanted "no human being is illegal" over the rhythmic melodies of a mariachi band. The smell of bacon-wrapped hot dogs sizzling alongside onions and peppers on vendors' hotplates wafted through the crowd. The march is set to begin at 11 a.m.

Herlindo Ordonez, 40, stood on the corner with his teenage daughter, their wrists buckled to jail bars with yellow chains. A sign on the bars read "SB 1070."