By Andy Ostmeyer

Globe Assistant Metro Editor

WEBB CITY, Mo. - With the Praying Hands statue as a backdrop and nearby American flags fluttering in a strong spring breeze, a lonely protester held vigil Tuesday with a single sign.

"Let the Mexicans stay. So stop Bush now," read the poster held by Jerome Henderson, 22, of Webb City.

"I am a Republican myself," Henderson said. "I don't like it (a proposed immigration bill) one bit. I think President Bush needs to stop it."

His protest came one day after hundreds of thousands of immigrants and their supporters rallied around the country, from Boston to San Francisco.

"This is my first day, and I will be out here for the rest of the week," Henderson said.

The protests follow discussions in Washington, D.C., that broke down last week over what to do about the influx of illegal immigrants and the 11 million estimated to be in the United States already. A bill passed earlier by the U.S. House would crack down on those immigrants who are here illegally and tighten controls along the U.S.-Mexican border. A broader overhaul of immigration law including a series of steps toward citizenship stalled last week in the Senate before lawmakers went on a two-week recess.

Henderson, who said he was born in California, said his mother is a U.S. citizen and his father is an immigrant from Mexico.

"I don't know if he is here legally or not," Henderson said. He said his father lives in Denver, Colo.

Henderson said his protest was inspired by his work with a Christian organization called Casas Por Cristo, based in El Paso, Texas, that he joined to help build houses for poor families in Juarez, Mexico.

"I know what it is like down there for them," Henderson said, describing the small houses and poverty that afflict many. "It is a life-changing experience."

He said he doesn't think it is practical or reasonable to send back the millions of illegal immigrants, many of whom have built their lives in the United States.

"They have families to feed and everything," Henderson said. "Let them come over and live a better life. ... They are willing to work the jobs we don't want to work.

"They want to stay here. They don't want to go back. They love it here. ... Until this is done, I am going to continue this thing."