Thousands of supporters of an immigration overhaul held rallies on Saturday at more than 150 sites in 40 states, trying to pressure Congress, despite the partisan turmoil in Washington, to focus on passing a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants here illegally.
Hoping to display the wide reach of their movement, advocates held larger rallies in immigrant strongholds like Los Angeles, San Diego and Boston, with smaller demonstrations in places where immigrant groups have grown recently, including Atlanta; Rogers, Ark.; and Yakima, Wash. Organizers described the events, and a large rally they have planned for Tuesday on the National Mall in Washington, as their major show of force this year.
On what they called a "National Day of Immigrant Dignity and Respect," supporters said more than 50,000 people had turned out nationwide. But the demonstrations came when few lawmakers on Capitol Hill were thinking about immigration, with the federal government shut down and the House of Representatives locked in a feud with President Obama and Democrats over health care and debt funding.
Even while advocates have built up their strength — with a broad coalition of business, labor, religious and law enforcement groups calling for a comprehensive bill — they fear that momentum is slipping away for Congress to act this year.
In Birmingham, Ala., several hundred demonstrators convened for a rally in a downtown park, then marched chanting through the center of town. Rally speakers, including Benard Simelton, the president of the N.A.A.C.P. in Alabama, portrayed the immigration effort as part of broader civil rights activism in the state. Many immigrants marched with small children.
"I know there has been a shutdown, but we want Congress to know that the time is now to act," said Evelyn Servin, an immigrant advocate. "We don't want any more deportations. The respect we deserve is really needed here in Alabama."
In California, protests and vigils were held in 21 cities. In San Diego, several thousand people gathered in Balboa Park on the edge of downtown. They marched to the sound of drumbeats and horns shouting "Si, se puede" ("Yes, we can").
Ana Nuñez, 30, a student, said she had been living in the United States since 1989 without documents but recently received a temporary deportation deferral. She said that she had not seen her ailing grandparents since leaving Mexico and that she hoped for permanent legal status so she could travel to see them.
"I want to physically feel them," Ms. Nuñez said, holding a yellow sign reading "Citizenship for 11 million #timeisnow."
While the demonstrations were unfolding, Gov. Jerry Brown of California signed into law eight bills on Saturday expanding protections for immigrants in the state, including for those without legal papers. One bill restricted the ability of local and state police to detain immigrants on the basis of holds issued by federal enforcement officials, if the immigrants had not been arrested on serious charges.
"While Washington waffles on immigration, California is forging ahead," Mr. Brown said.
Many events were focused on House Republican lawmakers whom advocates hope to persuade to vote for the overhaul. In Illinois, 26 marchers from church groups finished a two-day, 30-mile walk through unseasonal heat at the Taylorville offices of Representative Rodney Davis, a Republican. Many were immigrants here without legal papers, marchers said.
In Springfield, Ohio, several dozen people protested outside the office of the speaker of the House, John A. Boehner.
In Boston, some 1,000 demonstrators marched on Boylston Street, bustling with shoppers. The marchers headed down the street, hoisting signs with messages like "Don't Deport My Mom."
Wilmer Carranza, a 16-year-old high school student who said his parents were here without immigration papers, said he was frustrated by the slow pace of immigration action in Washington.
"What if they get deported?" he said, referring to his parents. "What if I'm alone? What am I going to do?"
Reporting was contributed by Jess Bidgood from Boston, Christina Cappecchi from Minneapolis, Rob Davis from San Diego, and Kirk Semple from New York.
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: October 5, 2013
An earlier version of this article misstated the location of a demonstration. It was in Rogers, Ark., not Little Rock, Ark. An earlier version also incorrectly stated that a rally had been held Saturday in Omaha, Neb. That rally was postponed.
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