Why the small turnout?

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Manuel Nunez, 40, a member of the Associacion Fraternidades Guatemaltecas, an network of hometown clubs that raise money for public works projects in Guatemala, said that last year all immigrants were encouraged to participate in the May 1 march and that is why it drew an estimated 650,000 people on the streets of downtown Los Angeles. But this year, Nunez, an illegal immigrant who works in the construction business, said people were told to participate if they could ‘but not to risk losing their jobs.’ He said this is what accounted for the lower turnout.

-Sam Quinones on Broadway