*Photo courtesy of Eater.com
On February 16, 2017, immigrants around the nation participated in a movement known as “A Day Without Immigrants”, in response to the Trump Administration labeling immigrants as “lazy” and “not hard working”. This also follows the raid on undocumented immigrants, in which almost 700 have been detained and deported within a week. In an act of solidarity, immigrants and business owners chose not to work to showcase how a business runs for a day without its workers. Students also showed their solidarity by not attending school and protesting on the behalf of immigrants. The movement proved its point when restaurants were closed and there were longer lines in stores. Paintings created by immigrants were covered and those who worked in the labor industry had to pick up the work when their fellow employees did not show up.
According to LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis, immigrants bring in 40% of revenue to the city, regardless of legal status: about $300 per year. Aside from not showing up to school and work, immigrants refused to spend money at restaurants and shopping centers, and even one day out of the year can drastically effect the amount of money the city made.
History has a tendency of repeating itself and the lack of immigrants showing up to work, school, or go shopping also occurred in a previous strike. The “Great American Boycott” took place on May 1, 2008, where millions of protesters stayed home to show opposition of the proposed Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. This bill passed in Congress but failed at the Senate where the rate of protests dropped. Following “A Day Without Immigrants”, the “A Day Without Women” protest is set to take place on March 8, 2017, on International Women’s Day. The purpose of this movement is to demonstrate women’s rights and acknowledge their contributions to societies around the world. Only time will tell the future of our immigrants, but to say that they “lazy” or don’t contribute to the greater good is an understatement.