Thousands of participants showed up for the march organized by LULAC and various community organizations. NBC 5’s Candace Sweat spoke with those involved.
LULAC and various community organizations in North Texas called for a 'Mega March' for bipartisan immigration reform and an end to deportations.
The march began at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Dallas. From there, it went down Ross Avenue to Griffin Street, then to Commerce Street and North Harwood Street and on to Young Street before ending at Dallas City Hall.
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WATCH HEREOrganizers asked for American flags to be carried.
This is not the first Mega March in Dallas. In 2006, an estimated 500,000 people marched in Dallas, in what organizers called Texas's largest civil rights demonstration. In May 2010, an estimated 20,000 people turned out for immigration reform. In 2017, a smaller Dallas Mega March focused on themes of family, unity and empowerment.
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SIGN UP Local and state politicians attended the demonstration in Dallas. Congressman Al Green, of Houston, told NBC 5 he was impressed by the turnout.
"I will tell Washington that I was here, and that Latinos want the world to know that they respect America, and they expect America to respect Latinos," said Green.
President Donald Trump continues his crackdown on immigration just a little over two months into his presidency. Within days of taking office, the president issued several immigration-related executive orders, with a focus on asylum seekers, the Texas-Mexico border and mass deportations.
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In late January, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order directing state agencies to partner with the president on border operations, a clear show of support for the Trump administration.
As demonstrators marched through Dallas, they said they had a message to send. Kevin Hernandez told us he wanted to show up and set an example for his children.
"Not everybody here is bad," he said. "There’s people here who want to chase a dream, accomplish goals and live a happy life."
