BATAVIA, Ill., Sept. 5 (UPI) -- About 2,000 immigrant rights activists staged a rally near the home of U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert in Batavia, Ill.
The protesters Monday demanded Hastert support legislation to offer legalization to the 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States and to put an end to raids and deportations by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday.
The demonstration came at the end to a four-day, 45-mile march from Chicago's Chinatown Square to the Batavia neighborhood. About 250 marchers walked the entire distance, and many more joined along the way.
The protest was met by about 150 counter-protesters, including members of the Chicago Minuteman Project.
Hastert did not make an appearance at the march, but he released a statement reiterating his calls for strong border security.
"What we need to do is stop the flow of a million illegal aliens across the border every year," he said. "Our border is bleeding to death and we need to stop the bleeding."
