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“D.C. depends deeply on immigrants, who work vital jobs in our local economy, pay taxes, and make the city a vibrant place to live,” said one restaurant that joined the day of action.

By Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams

In cities across the United States on Monday, businesses closed their doors for “A Day Without Immigrants,” to protest Republican President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans and other attacks on migrants.

Ahead of the day of action, people took to the streets in several cities for what Migrant Insider‘s Pablo Manríquez called “a weekend of resistance,” highlighting demonstrations in Arlington, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; Idaho City, Idaho; Las Vegas, Nevada; Los Angeles, Oxnard, San Diego, and Vista, California; New York, New York; Phoenix, Arizona; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Seattle, Washington; and St. Louis, Missouri.

'A Day Without Immigrants' protesters

In Los Angeles, opponents of recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and deportations “closed the 101 Freeway for hours,” according toCBS News. “Later in the day, about 250 people gathered in Pacoima for another rally, where police claimed drivers were performing stunts and blocking traffic with their cars.”

Southern California also saw protests on Monday, with people marching through downtown Los Angeles and gathering outside the federal courthouse in Santa Ana.

“We’re a community,” one of the Santa Ana organizers told an ABC affiliate. “We’re humans as well. We do so much for our family and friends. We’re here for our people. We’re here to fight, and show that we can do so much more than just what they call us to do.”

The Chicago Tribunereported that in the suburb Waukegan on Saturday, hundreds of people rallied carrying Mexican flags and signs that read: “No Raids, No Deportation,” “People United Will Defend Immigrant Rights,” “The People Will Defeat Trump’s Far-Right Agenda,” and “Know Your Rights.”

According to the newspaper:

With dozens of signs urging people to know their rights, Giselle Rodriguez, the executive director of Illinois Workers in Action, urged people to know their rights and communicate those entitlements to others.

“Do not open the door unless ICE has a warrant signed by a federal judge,” Rodriguez said. “Once you open the door, either in your car or home, it allows them to enter. Be silent. You don’t have to talk to them. You have the right to an attorney, get one.”

Chicago’s ABC affiliate reported that multiple local businesses joined the Monday action. Carmen Montoya, owner of Mis Tacos Mexican Food in West Lawn, told the outlet that her family participated due to growing fears in the Latino immigrant community, saying, “Like me, there are many, many people that just need the opportunity to work without being afraid.”

The Illinois city’s NBC affiliate collected statements from more regional restaurants, auto shops, and other businesses. In an Instagram post included in the list, Three Tarts Bakery and Cafe in Northfield called the day of action “an important statement on the invaluable contributions of immigrants to our communities, industries, and daily lives.”

Businesses in Washington, D.C. shared similar messages. According to an NBC affiliate, Republic Cantina said in an Instagram story that “D.C. depends deeply on immigrants, who work vital jobs in our local economy, pay taxes, and make the city a vibrant place to live.”

“We’ve been dismayed to see the rollout of policies that tear immigrants from their homes—which is both inhumane and will cause massive harm to communities and to small business,” added the restaurant.

 

In addition to lifting restrictions on ICE to enable more raids and deportations that experts warn will have “catastrophic” economic consequences, Trump has sought to end birthright citizenship, signed the Laken Riley Act, declared a “national emergency at the southern border,” and ordered federal departments to prepare the U.S. naval base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba—infamous for torture and long-term detention without charges—to hold tens of thousands of migrants.

A coalition including the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit on Monday over Trump’s attempt to shut down the asylum process at the U.S.-Mexico border. The complaint warns that the government “is returning asylum-seekers—not just single adults, but families too—to countries where they face persecution or torture, without allowing them to invoke the protections Congress has provided.”

Recalling Trump’s first-term attacks on immigration, Melissa Crow, director of litigation at the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, which is part of the coalition, said that “this time around, his administration has fully embraced racist conspiracy theories, declaring that families, children, and adults seeking safety somehow constitute a hostile ‘invasion.'”

Participants in the Monday action countered the kind of language coming from the Trump administration by highlighting the contributions of immigrants. Reporting on local businesses that joined the day of action, The Columbus Dispatch detailed:

Toro Meat Market, which has shops in Northland, North Linden, and on the South Side, announced its closing Monday “in solidarity with our Latino community.”

“Their effort and sacrifice are fundamental to this country, and we want to make their impact visible,” the business posted on its Facebook page. In Spanish on Instagram, the market added, “The effort and sacrifice of immigrants make this country great.”

In Oklahoma, restaurants owned by Good Egg Dining were also closed on Monday. According to The Oklahoman, the group said that “our industry, our restaurants, and our communities are built on the hard work, passion, and dedication of immigrants. They are the backbone of our kitchens, our service, and our culture. Today, we stand with them.”

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