"Immigrants should have the same rights to work and feed their families as anyone else," said Burbank resident Malena Hinze.
"If they can do that in an organized way, than more power to them."
In a statement released by Catholic Charities, the organization that runs both the Burbank and Glendale day labor centers, the organization explained that more than 70% of the workers in the Glendale facility regularly receive work at minimum of $8 an hour, and the same results are expected of the Burbank facility.
The protest on Saturday was one of the largest that Save Our State has seen, Turner said.
During previous protests held at the day labor center in Glendale, the group has often seemed dwarfed by an onslaught of counter-protesters.
Although Turner said numbers are not what determine the success of a protest, on Saturday he made an effort to make sure the numbers were equal.
"We put out a call to unite our people so we can show we can match our opposition," Turner said.
Save Our State members came from across California for the protest.
"I was willing to drive six hours -- that is how important this is to me," said Larry Culbertson, who came from San Juan Capistrano.
"Having a day labor site acts as a magnet for illegal immigrants. If we can shut them down, we'll be able to reverse the magnet."
Culbertson said he does not blame Home Depot for building the center.
"They really had their arm twisted by the city of Burbank," he said.
Burbank required that the Home Depot finance the building of the center in order to erect their store, explained Kathryn Gallagher, public relations manager for the western division of Home Depot.
After it was built, operation of the center was turned over to Catholic Charities.
"We don't own the day labor center and we're not responsible for running it," Gallagher said.
Turner, however, claimed that Save Our State is engaging in a public relations battle with the company.
"I think we're gaining momentum," he said.
Many of the counter-protesters, however, see the centers as an emerging national trend.
B. Loewe, a spokesman for the Latino Union of Chicago, ended up at the protest while on a trip to observe the day labor centers in Los Angeles.
"Los Angeles is the place that has the oldest day labor centers in the nation," Loewe said. "All these centers can serve as examples for communities that are turning toward worker centers as a creative solution to a problem that already exists."
While the shouting continued outside, about ten day laborers sat on benches inside the center, waiting for work.
