Interest in immigration rallies wanes as groups focus on other methods of activism: But many leaders remain committed to marching

Apr 27, 2008 (Chicago Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- -- It's been slow going for Armando Pena as he hits up Waukegan's Latino-owned businesses to drum up donations for next week's Immigration march in Chicago. He leaves a Mexican restaurant with $20. He gets another $10 from a beauty parlor. The Azteca bakery ponies up $620, but rejections are more common.

"I'm getting a lot of no, no, no's," he said.

The massive Immigration marches of 2006, including the May 1 rally that brought 400,000 people to Grant Park, helped drive Immigration reform to the top of the national agenda and gave new focus to the immigrant community in the Chicago area.

Two years later, Spanish-language morning talk shows are buzzing about a new march. But some community leaders in the suburbs, a vital source of support in past demonstrations, are expressing doubts about whether massive rallies are the right tactic this year.

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