国际英语新闻：March and rally held in L.A. for immigration reform

The march and rally in downtown Los Angeles was one of at least 75 events being held countrywide as part of a coordinated effort to press the U.S. Congress and U.S. president to move forward with an overhaul of the immigration system, repudiate Arizona's recently-approved SB 1070 law, call for a halt to family separations, raids and deportations, and honor workers' contributions.

The march and rally were peaceful, although the Los Angeles Police Department sent helicopters and hundreds of police to the scene to cope with any possible clashes.

People attend a grand rally demanding immigrants and labors rights in downtown Los Angeles, the United States, May 1, 2010

No counter-protests were held in Los Angeles.

The march and rally lasted more than four hours, but no official crowd estimate was available. One police officer from the Los Angeles Police Department hinted that the crowd could have been smaller than the 100,000 people police were anticipating.