Topeka ? “Dream Big” read one of the signs held aloft at the annual rally for immigrant rights Tuesday on the Capitol steps, where several hundred people gathered to promote civil rights and benefits for Hispanics.

Many of the issues they pressed, such as eligibility for driver’s licenses and comprehensive immigration reform, depend on the outcome of congressional debates in Washington. Yet as Kansas gears up for a competitive election season, Hispanic advocates from Garden City to Wichita said they would use local strategies to make their mark on policies affecting the state’s immigrant population.

“We’re going to keep getting organized,” said Jose Manuel Ortiz, a construction worker and member of Sunflower Community Action, a Wichita-based nonprofit that organized the event with Kansas City-based El Centro Inc. “Latinos have so many important needs, and it’s our time to make an impact.”

Organizers said the rally drew about double the number of participants as last year’s events. Participants met with legislators and with the chief of staff to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

Tanya Diaz, 5, of Bonner Springs, waves a Mexican flag at an annual rally for immigrant rights. Several hundred people gathered Tuesday at the Statehouse in Topeka to promote civil rights and benefits for Hispanics.

The Kansas Legislature is considering a bill that would deny noncitizens state and local benefits. A proposal to repeal a law granting in-state tuition to some illegal immigrants may re-emerge this session.

As the Hispanic population has grown in strength and numbers over the last decade, a new crop of state leaders has emerged. Six groups are receiving technical assistance from the Kansas Hispanic and Latino American Affairs Commission to increase Hispanic political participation.

“We’re trying to develop capacity for Hispanic leadership across Kansas,” said Elias Garcia, the agency’s executive director. “Some of that overlaps with immigration issues.”