A key Senate panel endorsed a bill Monday that would allow illegal workers to obtain visas, sending the legislation to the full Senate for a likely heated debate in an election year.
The House of Representatives in December passed its own immigration bill that would make illegal entry in the United States a crime and heavily penalize employers of undocumented workers, opening the floodwaters of protest in the Hispanic community.
The House legislation triggered a huge protest in Los Angeles Saturday that drew half a million people, and protests continued Monday across the country.
"On April 8, we will hold a major assembly of organizations and coalitions that represent all immigrants to call for May 1 to be a nationwide 'Day Without Latins,' or a 'Day Without Immigrants,'" Coalition 25 president Javier Rodriguez told AFP.
There are more than 11 million undocumented workers, mostly Hispanics, in the United States.
Political Parties Pressured on Immigration AP via Yahoo!
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