SEATTLE - They came from as far away as Yakima and Walla Walla, all in support of immigration reform.
"There are Latinos, there are Asians, there are African-Americans, Filipinos and Somalis!" yelled Leah Burton as she handed out flags to bystanders.
Among those in the crowd, 17-year-old high school senior Carlos Padilla.
"I came when I was 2 years old," he said.
Carlos has spent most of his life in Seattle, but he's still considered an illegal alien. Like many of the illegals in this crowd, Carlos says he's always looking over his shoulder.
"Every day I think about that all of these things that I'm doing here and immigration could come one day to pick me up," he said.
Carlos is an example of what immigration reform advocates are hoping to change. Among the issues, immigrants caught up in a backlog of paperwork to become legal. There are also more than 12 million undocumented people, working for decades under the radar.
"We need to recognize the workers supporting this country and all of these people from all these nations," said Burton.
But Burton and others recognize this is a difficult battle to fight. Some legislators may be hesitant to take on such a big issue after the overhauling of health care.
"The reality is immigration reform is a tough issue we know it's a tough issue politically but it shouldn't be," said One America spokesperson Pramila Jayapal.
Despite his status, Carlos says he still plans to graduate and go on to the University of Washington.
"I decided to make them not dreams but goals because I can accomplish them," he said.
Carlos says he and the millions of others here in America believe the risks are worth the effort.
"These are people who have worked and struggled under a tough system, and they're not going to rest until it happens," said Pramila Jayapal of Washington Immigration Reform Coalition.
The group is pushing for a bill to be introduced into Congress by May 1.
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