The Utah Minuteman Project plans a "Wake-Up America" rally for May 1 to counter a nationwide call for immigrants to stay at home that day in an effort to demonstrate their economic impact.

"We want to show we're part of the labor force as well," Minuteman director Alex Segura said. "We have a right to speak up and say we don't support illegal immigration."

The rally, meant as a show of support for cracking down on illegal immigration, will be at Washington Square, 210 E. 400 South, from 3 to 8 p.m. Monday.

Monday is also planned as "A Day Without an Immigrant," a nationwide boycott of work, school and all businesses in protest of get-tough legislation, passed last year by the U.S. House of Representatives, that would bolster border security, crack down on employers and increase criminal penalties.

The rallies are both planned to send a message to Washington, where a top priority for the Senate is legislation to overhaul the nation's immigration system — potentially granting amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants.

In an e-mail to supporters, Segura cautioned against directing anger toward Mexico or illegal immigrants.

"The message should be that this is about national security," Segura said. "Stop the criminals, stop the terrorists, protect us from gangs — uphold the rule of law and ensure that immigrants come legally."

Meanwhile, Utah's Latino leaders are calling for undocumented immigrants and their supporters to boycott all businesses for a day. But many are not encouraging people to stay home from work or school.

Proyecto Latino de Utah also plans a "Walk for Liberty" at Liberty Park and is encouraging immigrants to show their presence by wearing blue ribbons to work or school on Monday.

Michael Clara, spokesman for the Utah Hispanic Legislative Task Force, said there was disagreement in the bipartisan group over whether to support the nationwide call to stay home from work and school.

"While we recognize the national stay-at-home day, in Utah we are encouraging the no-buy day," Clara said.

Clara said the purpose is to send a message to Congress that undocumented immigrants contribute to the nation's economy while calling for comprehensive immigration reform.

"We feel our congressional delegation understands that and is sympathetic," Clara said. "We don't feel compelled to encourage a major economic impact to our state."

Frank Cordova, director of the Utah Coalition of La Raza, predicted many people with the means to take a day off will do that. He suspects it won't just be immigrants or Latinos, but non-Latino supporters as well.

"I think a lot of bankers, administrators and teachers are going to call in and take a day off to support us," he said.

---

E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com