Charlotte Protesters Rally Against Arizona Immigration Law

Opponents of Arizona’s immigration law rallied in uptown Charlotte Thursday evening while a local lawmaker prepared to push for a similar law in North Carolina.

The rally in Marshall Park was sponsored by the group Charlotte United.

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked several provisions of the Arizona law, which includes requiring immigrants to carry their papers at all times and a section that allows police officers to make warrantless arrests of suspected illegal immigrants.

For more information on Arizona’s immigration law, click here.

State Sen. Jim Forrester, a Republican from Gaston County, said he supports the Arizona law and is a part of a group of lawmakers working to push through similar legislation in North Carolina.

“A lot of these people would make good citizens," Forrester said. "They are hard-working people. Most of them are good, religious people but they need to go about it the right way and not go jumping over the fence.”

Rosario Lopez, an undocumented resident from Mexico now living in Durham, said she has worked hard to make a life for herself in the United States. Lopez said the red tape required to make that life legal must be torn down.

“Going back to Mexico, waiting for 10 years and then after that being able to apply -- that’s impossible,” Lopez said.

A meeting is scheduled for Friday at 2 p.m. at the Republican Party headquarters in Charlotte. The group plans to discuss the Arizona law and illegal immigration and its impact on Mecklenburg County.

Legal experts said it could be a year before the Arizona law makes it way through the courts.