Some US businesses close in 'a day without immigrants' amid protests
However, taking part in the "day without immigrants" ran into trouble from employees and business owners who said they rely on the money – especially as unconfirmed reports of widespread raids are making many migrant communities too scared to venture out, even affecting some schools. The day of action came just after Sunday's street protests in California and other places.
Noel Xavier, organiser director for the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, said that while it's essential to remind the nation of the value that migrant workers give to the communities they work in, many workers can't afford to have a day off.
“"If I don't go to work today, that's one day less I've got to pay for me next rent, you know," Xavier said about the general feeling amongst the workers he's involved with. "I didn't see anyone rallying for being able to afford not working today or having the freedom to be able to not work that day."
Juan Pablo, president of the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said that small restaurants and retailers in big Latino neighbourhoods in Chicago shut up shop, but most big employers, as well as those working in construction and other industries, were running normally.
“Grow is only missin' out on good on our own mob,” he said.
Andrewa Toro decided to shut down her hair salon in Chicago's South Pilsen neighbourhood. She claimed many of her customers were teachers and had had kids miss school since Trump got into office a month back due to fear it wasn't safe to attend.
“Was we don't have immigrants, we don't have staff around here,” said Toro, who's from Puerto Rico. "If we're voiceless, we're in quiet, then they're going to do whatever they want."
El Burrito Mercado, which really took off from a small Latino market in the 1970s to become one of the most well-known restaurants, cafes and grocery suppliers in St. Paul, Minnesota, shut its doors for the whole day in 2017 — when the most recent event of the same scale happened at the start of the Trump Government.
But on Monday, it was open for a few hours with just a skeleton staff, Milissa Silva said.
Her parents relocated from Mexico, and many of the 90 workers have Mexican ancestry. But a lot of staff members expressed worries about losing a working day and denying local people the chance to get groceries.
Similarly, the Spanish-immersion day care provider Tierra Encantada kept its 14 locations open. But many olds kept their little nippers at home on Monday as a show of solidarity with the workers in the mostly first and second-generation immigrant workforce, said the Managing Director of the company, Kristen Denzer.
Families – mostly of local people – pulled out about 450 kids from day care and preschool centres, around 70% of those enrolled in Minnesota alone, where most of the organisation's centres are, Denzer said. Several staff members who were still undecided decided to take the day off after seeing the outpouring of support.
In the state of Utah, a number of family-owned and operated businesses, including Latin American shops, cafes and supermarkets, ceased trading.
“Today, it’s all about being caring,” said New South Wales Sen. Luz Escamilla, a National Party and Senate minority leader. “A lot of businesses and communities are getting together across the state just to spread the word about how much this has whipped up a fear.”
Pressed about the day of protest at his Monday's media conference, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, a Republican, defended Donald Trump's immigration policies and said law-abiding immigrants shouldn't have any reason to worry.
“Only people being talked about gettin' sent back to their countries are the crooks, the ones on parole, and the ones who've committed some big-time bad behaviour,” Adams said.
While immigration enforcement officers continue to target for deportation migrants considered a safety and security threat to the public and the nation, a significant change from the Biden administration is that officers are now allowed to arrest people without a legal status if they come across them during operations.
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