Abogados de Inmigracion

The bill aims to strengthen border security with better resources and communication for law enforcement.

But it also would offer undocumented workers a way to legal status, allowing them to become permanent residents after undergoing a criminal background check and paying a fine for being here illegally. Eventually, they could become citizens.

Marina Margarito of Lake Stevens came from Mexico 10 years ago.

She told The Herald newspaper she now feels more attached to the United States than to her native land.

"We passed through difficult times, and we stayed here," she said in Spanish. "After 9/11 we remained here to defend (this) country."

Some people are not happy with the part of the bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, D-Ill., that would allow immigrants who broke the law to enter this country, to stay and work in the U.S.

Douglas Kerley of Lynnwood was one of two men who held a sign reading "No Amnesty!" at the corner of Rockefeller Avenue and Wall Street as the larger crowd marched past on the other side of the street.

"At our core, we are a nation of laws," Kerley said. "If you do not respect these laws, you are not respecting our nation."

Friday's march by U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen's downtown Everett office was organized by One America, a Seattle nonprofit formerly called Hate Free Zone that advocates for justice "for all people especially immigrants," according to its Web site.

The rally was part of a week of activities with stops at other congressional offices in Washington state.

It was coordinated with nationwide rallies led by Reform Immigration for America of Washington, D.C., a campaign supported by the nonprofit Tides Advocacy Fund of San Francisco, a lobbying group that supports liberal causes.

While Larsen has supported some aspects of the new legislation in previous bills, but he has concerns with other parts, said his chief of staff, Kimberly Johnston.

Specifically, the path to citizenship may be too lenient and the visa provisions for seasonal and highly skilled workers may be too restrictive, Johnston said. Larsen also wants a guest-worker program, which the proposed legislation lacks.