Crowds are expected to be somewhat smaller than last year's May Day protests, when half-a-million people participated in events in Los Angeles alone, which has a high concentration of Latino immigrants. The city's mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, has called on students to stay in school for the day rather than follow some activists' call for a student boycott.

Protests are also expected to take place in New York, Chicago, Miami, and Washington. Organizers say some would-be protesters may stay home this year in response to a national crackdown on illegal aliens over the past year. There are an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States.

Federal legislation that would have created a guest worker program and offered a path to U.S. citizenship for some immigrants failed last year, in the face of strong opposition from some Republicans in the House of Representatives. - VOA News