DENVER -- Backers of a measure to block illegal immigrants from non-emergency government services gathered on the steps of the state Capitol Thursday afternoon to rally support for their cause.

The proposal to keep these services off-limits to illegal immigrants is being challenged in the state Supreme Court.

Nevertheless, the group Defend Colorado Now is going forward with a plan to collect signatures to let voters decide if there should be such a ban. About 150 people gathered at the Capitol to kick off the drive for 68,000 signatures -- the number of signatures needed to get the issue on the November ballot.

Former Gov. Dick Lamm was among the speakers at the rally. He blasted what he said are liberals who wanted open borders and businesses who want cheap labor.

"I believe this is a defining time in American history. Either we have a border or we don't have a border," Lamm said to loud applause. "A country without a border isn't a country."

Gubernatorial candidate Marc Holtzman and former Senate president John Andrews were also at the rally. Group member Waldo Benavidez told the crowd that illegal immigrants are driving down wages and hurting the American middle class.

The Colorado Catholic Conference is among some groups organizing to fight the proposal. The conference, which represents the state's three Catholic bishop, says the proposal unfairly targets a vulnerable population.

The federal government guarantees emergency medical care and K-12 education, so those services would not be impacted by the measure.

Up to 275,000 illegal immigrants lived in Colorado last year, an increase of at least 25,000 from the year before, the Pew Hispanic Center reported. The center said Wednesday that Colorado probably accounts for about 2 percent of the estimated 11.1 million illegal immigrants nationwide.

The numbers include some who have temporary permission to be in the country or whose immigration status is unresolved, the center said. The study was based on U.S. Census Bureau figures.

Neighboring states had smaller numbers in the Pew report: fewer than 10,000 in Wyoming, up to 100,000 in Utah and up to 75,000 in New Mexico.

Additional Resources:

Defend Colorado Now
Colorado Catholic Conference