About 2,000 people gathered in front of the Georgia State Capitol as the noon kickoff time approached for a planned rally to mark "A Day Without Immigrants." People were trickling from downtown Atlanta to the site, but it seemed unlikely there would be the tens of thousands seen at an April protest in the Atlanta area.

While the numbers may not have been high, opinions were strong. Heather Ruark, 29, sat on the sidewalk and wrote out a protest sign. The Dekalb County teacher said she was waiting for her husband, an illegal immigrant who would soon be heading back to Mexico to fight for legal status from beyond U.S. borders. Ruark said she would be joining her husband in Mexico.

Marco Obregon of Mableton, Georgia, came with his wife, Flor, and 8-year-old daughter Kenya. Obregon owns his own construction business, employing six people. He said he came to show "support for our brothers."

As Obregon spoke, across the street was Michael Mooney, a 40-year-old chemical plant worker from Cartersville, Georgia. Mooney held up a sign supporting strong immigration laws, and said those who want to come to the United States should "be patient, follow the laws, and wait their turn." People need to earn their way into the country, he said.