As part of a national day of action, area activists and students plan to march to the state Capitol today in a rally for immigrants' rights.

In an effort to raise public awareness for immigrants' rights, rally organizers will protest a trio of bills they view as discriminatory and unnecessary.

"There are a lot of immigrants, [and] … many of them have been forced to come without documents," rally organizer Salvador Carranza said. "But they are members of our community and are making enormous contributions nonetheless."

As contributing members and human beings, Carranza added, immigrants should not have to be assaulted by discriminatory policy, neither at the state nor federal levels.

But supporters of regulatory legislation said such measures are not meant to be unfair but are rather an issue of homeland security.

On the state level, policy supporters pointed to last month's passage of Assembly Bill 69 — a measure requiring individuals to prove legal residency before obtaining drivers' licenses — as a positive step toward protecting the nation from terrorist attacks.

"Wisconsin will no longer be one of the weak points where terrorists can obtain an ID," AB 69 author Rep. Mark Pettis, R-Hertel, said in a release. "An ID is power. It gives you many privileges in our country, from opening a bank account and renting a car to boarding a plane."

Immigrant-rights advocates, however, said AB 69 — as well as other anti-immigrant legislation yet to be approved — will hurt not only undocumented immigrants, but also society in general by damaging the nation's economy.

According to Carranza, industries like agriculture, processing, construction and food service would be severely hurt by anti-immigrant legislation.

"We need to bring [immigrants] out of the shadows of our communities so they can make even more contributions," he said.

A federal measure aiming to make all undocumented immigrants felons has already passed through the U.S. House of Representatives, and advocates hope today's rally will inform the public of its negative effects before the Senate moves to act on its companion bill.

HR 4437, Carranza said, violates America's ideals and fails to look at immigrants as real human beings.

"We need for the nation to welcome them as we have welcomed other immigrants before," he said. "This is a march not only for immigrant rights but for human rights. We cannot have a nation with two different kinds of residents — one with full rights and one with only limited rights."

The march is set to take place from 10:30 a.m. to noon beginning at Brittingham Park and ending at the Capitol, where a one-hour program will be performed from noon until 1 p.m.

According to University of Wisconsin history professor Thomas Archdeacon, the rally's success will center on how organizers present their protests.

"It cuts both ways. I think that in some ways it … can make the people sympathetic," he said, adding emphasizing immigrants' contributions will help garner public support while using "separatist rhetoric" stressing their heritage will most likely hurt the movement.

Politicians will only consider the rally a cause to reconsider policy if its participants represent a broad base of voters, Archdeacon added.

The rally's sponsoring organizations include the UW Latino Law Students Association.