Huge march for immigration attracts thousands in Dallas
DALLAS -- Several thousand people marched through the streets of downtown Dallas on Sunday for immigration reform, CBS Dallas / Fort Worth reports.
Known as Immigration Reform Mega March, people brought signs and waved American flags in what was a peaceful protest.
The Dallas Police Department estimated between 3,000 and 4,000 people marched through downtown. There were also no reported incidents or arrests.
The #MegaMarch2017 is winding down. The crowd estimate was about 3,200 and there were no reported incidents or arrests.
— Dallas Police Dept (@DallasPD) April 9, 2017
The last Mega March in 2006 brought together about 500,000 people which was the largest civil rights march in Texas history.
Organizers of the march expected a crowd of about 100,000 people during final preparations last week.
The march started at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe around 2:00 p.m. ending nearly 1.5 miles away.
Marchers stopped at Dallas City Hall where various activists, including Martin Luther King III, spoke to the crowd.
Dallas teacher Esseiny Alanis, a Mexican immigrant, stood with two fourth-grade students during the rally.
“Every child deserves a right to go to school without fear of losing a parent,” Alanis told the Dallas News, referring to the threat of deportation.
A small number of Trump supporters gathered nearby.
#MegaMarch2017 underway, end of march has left Ross/Pearl. #MegaMarch pic.twitter.com/AfsVHxNVX3
— Dallas Police Dept (@DallasPD) April 9, 2017