Expectations are high for Monday's marches in support of immigration reform and immigrant rights. The crowds could easily match the protests a few weeks ago, reports the Los Angeles Times. LA is facing a May Day march, a late afternoon alternative that has been promoted by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Cardinal Roger Mahony, as well as a possible evening march and a host of suburban alternatives.

Both here and in LA school authorities are saying students should stay in school. And the Clark County School District is faxing out a statement reiterating its personnel policies that teachers and others have to show up unless they have already requested leave. Good luck with that.

The Review-Journal reports that lots of Strip workers are saying they will come to work because rumors are flying that they could be fired. The highest estimate of participation in the protests, one worker tells the paper, is 50-50. Hmmm. Despite the best efforts of the Culinary and the casino executives to arrange an alternative that would not disrupt the day's work, we're skeptical.

This is not just another labor march. Both sides of the issue are hardening their positions: The more the sanctimonious "America - love it or leave it" crowd has carried on about breaking the law, the more the immigrants, both legal and illegal, have been encouraged to see this as a fundamental issue of civil rights. (If you need an explanation of what's wrong with the idea that illegals should be punished for breaking the law, read my column in Business Press).

Don't be surprised if there are plenty of Mexican flags at Monday's festivities. It's not about reclaiming the Southwest for Mexico, as the conspiracy theorists say. It's a demand that they be recognized as equal members of this community, that Hispanics and their heritage be respected.

I can understand that. As a (legal) immigrant, I've often faced slightly quizical looks from people wondering how I got to be here. It must be much worse for people whom many others presume do not want to be Americans and often think will not and cannot become good Americans. The political debate about when is an amnesty not an amnesty is totally out of touch with what the Hispanic community is saying.

And the divisions will only get worse after Monday's protests. The latest Zogby poll is probably correct. The marches, the poll finds, are only likely to confirm mainstream opinion that the protestors are out of line and that immigration laws need to be tightened.

But people don't think the Congress can enact any reforms and they're probably right. That's not a bad thing. When there are strong divisions, doing nothing is often better than blundering into a mistake.

If the protests succeed in demonstrating how important immigrants are to the economy, the advocates of draconian restrictions and those who buy the nativist fantasy of repatriating 11 or 12 million people probably won't learn the lesson. Mass demonstrations will only harden their resolve to get tough. Still this is one of those moments where the Hispanic community will have to speak truth to power - not the power of wealth because most of the business community wants reform that will help their workers - but the power of ignorance.