Thousands in Ecuadorian City Protest against Arizona Immigration Law

Several thousand people took to the streets of Ecuador's southern major city of Cuenca on Friday to protest an immigration law of the U.S. state of Arizona.

Some 4,000 people, including some officers, marched in downtown Cuenca, demanding respect for Ecuadorians living in the United States.

The immigration law is "against the human rights and the U.S. Constitution," said Juan Peralta, a regional delegate of the governmental National Secretariat for Immigration (Senami).

"Not to recognize the contribution of the emigrants to the development of the country would be like attempting to hide the sun with just one finger," Peralta added.

Arizona signed into law a tough and controversial immigration bill last month that makes illegal immigration a crime and allows police to stop and question a person on immigration status if there is any "reasonable suspicion."

The law sparked an uproar in the immigrant communities and criticism from political leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama.

The Ecuadorian government has recently announced the opening of a consulate in Arizona to protect its citizens.

Lorena Escudero, regional director of the Migrant National Direction (Senami) in Quito, the Ecuadorian capital, said the Arizona law would set a bad precedent for other U.S. states.

"We have expressed our rejection to this law, which makes the human flow criminal and directly affects the emigrants in Arizona. It could have a chain effect and also promote xenophobic and racist actions," Escudero said.