Thousands marched for immigration reform at the annual May Day rally in Chicago on May 1, 2010. Posters read “Undocumented, Unafraid”, “Obama, Obama, don’t deport my mama” and “Boycott Arizona,” filled the air as immigrant rights groups led chants against Arizona’s SB 1070 law, an immigration bill that allows state police to question anyone suspected of being undocumented.

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Demonstrator and Harold Washington student Mario Hernandez, 23, rallied with his sister and mother to support any type of reform for the undocumented.

“You got all this racial profiling in Arizona. I hope we don’t get any of that in Illinois,” Hernandez said. “I don’t have any family that is undocumented, but a lot of my friends are. I’ve got a couple of buddies in Arizona…they are telling me that people are trying to fight back against it.

The rally began at Union Park and ended at Daley plaza. Many community groups such as the Central District Organizing Project in Gary, Ind., joined the march hoping to let their voices be heard.

“I think immigration reform is important. They are breaking up families and deporting people,” said Kim Mcgee, CDOP’s outreach coordinator. “I think there is a lot of racism involved in all this as far as deporting people and picking who to deport. I think the new Arizona law is racist and it’s going to target all black and brown people.”