Rally over new immigration law in Nogales

By Mark Stine

Nogales, AZ (KOLD) - Protests in Arizona and across the border in Mexico -- Divided by the Port of Entry, but very much together in the fight against Arizona's new immigration law.

"Our bus started with 30 people in Dallas, we picked up people in Odessa, El Paso, Las Cruces New Mexico," Domingo Garcia said.

Dozens of people file off of the buses in Nogales, Arizona to join in the protest against the states new law.

"Your governor really doesn't know what she is doing," Garcia explained.

Jaime Cortes told KOLD, "I wanted to show my fellow brethren here in Arizona that the law the Governor passed, I feel in my opinion, is against the new law."

The group not only wants the law repealed, but they hope their message makes it all the way to Washington.

"We hope it's repealed, but we also want to bring it to the attention to our leaders in Washington, D.C. to try and step in and maybe come to the table with the

Governor of Arizona and other legislators here and come to an understanding," Cortes told us.

The protests weren't only held in the form of rally's along the border, Mexican citizens made a statement by not crossing into arizona to spend money. They called it "Day Without a Mexican."

"Super dead, My business was like a ghost town," Tony Gonzalez said.

Business was so slow because of the boycott, Gonzalez said, that he closed up his cell phone shop early to come down for the protest.

Gonzalez told KOLD, "If you stay quiet nothing is ever going to happen."

Business owners in Nogales say they count on Mexican shoppers for a majority of their sales.

Nogales Vice-Mayor Olga Valdez said, "I'm happy, not for our businesses, but because we need to support and respect the people."

Now finished with their protest in Nogales, the group from Dallas takes their fight to Phoenix tomorrow.

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