The National Day of Action for Immigrant Justice. A Librarian at Every Table. No. 339

April 10 (Bloomberg) -- As many as 2 million people may rally across the U.S. today against an immigration reform bill passed by the House of Representatives that would tighten the borders and impose stiffer penalties on illegal immigrants.

More than 300,000 gathered yesterday in Dallas in the first of the demonstrations organized by the nation's Hispanic community. Today, `The National Day of Action for Immigrant Justice' will feature 136 rallies from New York to California.

USAToday reports: As many as 1 million people will join protests today in more than 100 cities across the USA in an attempt to pressure Congress to approve legislation that would offer citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants.

Rallies were planned in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, Washington, D.C., Houston and elsewhere. The Immigrant Solidarity Network, one of many organizing groups, called the marches "historic."

"We think this is the largest mobilization on the issue of immigration reform ever," said Avril Smith, a spokeswoman for the Service Employees International Union, which helped organize a march in Washington.