"Why did they treat us like that?" she said. "They acted in a way officials shouldn't. It's important to show . . . that we are still standing."
Police reported no major problems Thursday and seemed to be taking extra care to be cordial. Officers on foot, bicycle and horseback -- many of whom participated in special training exercises to avoid last year's problems -- appeared relaxed and chatted with marchers, politely addressing them on loudspeakers:
"Hello. Welcome to your May Day march. Please move to the sidewalk."
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Unified School District officials reported that 743 students walked out of classes Thursday, a steep drop from the 26,000 students in 2006 and 1,600 last year.
Gustavo de Jesus, 17, showed up at David Starr Jordan High School but left before classes began. De Jesus, an illegal immigrant, said he wants to go to college but doesn't know if he will be able to get scholarships to afford it. And even if he does, he worries that he will still end up working construction or at a fast food restaurant because he doesn't have immigration papers.
"I've been here my whole life," he said. "I love this country."
Reflecting the day's focus on comprehensive reform and ending immigration raids, a contingent of workers from a Van Nuys factory that was raided in February joined the march. Maria Guandique, 34, was arrested on suspicion of civil immigration law violations when she was working as an assembler at Micro Solutions Enterprises. Unable to work, she has had trouble paying rent and has had to seek help from her church.
"They're treating me like I'm a criminal, and I'm not," she said, lifting her slacks to show the ankle bracelet that authorities are using to monitor her whereabouts 24 hours a day.
Their calls for legalization and an end to blanket work-site raids were joined Thursday by some powerful allies: business leaders.
At a May Day news conference, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce President Gary Toebben said the government should concentrate its limited resources and enforcement efforts on those companies with a clear history of exploitation of workers.
Work-site raids have swelled in recent years, with 4,900 arrests in fiscal 2007, a 45-fold increase over 2001, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency.
