Rally for immigrant rights planned in Chicago

Immigrant rights advocates are planning May Day events throughout Chicago.

One rally begins Thursday morning at a West Side park. Another starts later in the day at a sculpture commemorating the Haymarket riot. The day is to end outside the Chicago offices of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Organizers say the theme is calling on the Obama administration to end deportations. Activist Elvira Arellano (el-VEE'-ruh ah-ray-AH'-noh) is among the speakers. She once sought sanctuary at a Chicago church while living in the U.S. illegally.

Organizers expect a few thousand participants.

A similar 2006 Chicago march drew about half a million people. Last year roughly 2,000 participated.

Recent efforts at overhauling immigration policies have stalled in the Republican-led U.S. House. However, some Illinois Republicans recently urged a vote on the measure.