Tuesday, May 2 2006 11:31 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New York: Hundreds of thousands of workers rallied across United States and stayed away from work, shops and schools as part of a historic economic boycott aimed at impressing upon the Government the contribution that immigrants make to the American economy.

While hundreds of restaurants, shops, factories and construction projects, which depend heavily on low paid illegal workers, shut down yesterday as their employees walked out to join the protests, marching protestors chanted "We can do it" and "USA, USA".

The economic boycott was aimed at impressing upon the government the contribution that immigrants make to the economy of the country and demonstrators demanded regularisation of the illegal workers who number 11 to 12 million and constitute five per cent of the America's work force.

An overwhelming number of illegal workers are from Latin America with Mexico a major contributor.

In Los Angles, which saw the biggest demonstration, around half a million protestors joined the two rallies and another 300,000 marched in Chicago on Labour Day yesterday.

The illegal immigrants kept a low profile in New York where recently authorities had cracked down on them and the demonstrators were mostly their supporters and activists. The protestors formed human chains at some places and waved American and Mexican flags. They mostly comprised people from Latin America with a few Asians were visible among them.

The economic impact of the boycott, which was not complete, was not known immediately though analysts described it as symbolic.