Local businesses close Monday to participate in “A Day Without Immigrants”
(ABC 6 News) — Across the country, businesses owned, operated, or staffed by immigrants closed their doors on Monday in protest of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, including in Rochester.
Multiple local businesses from grocery stores to restaurants to auto sales were involved in Monday’s protest, and that does not include the unknown number of individuals who stayed home from work or school in solidarity.
Places like Corona’s Tacos – a long time Rochester staple.
Diego Sanchez is a senior at a local high school, and his parents own the restaurant.
He stayed home from school today to protest alongside his parents, and says the conversations around immigration are happening in the classroom too.
“Some fear for their own parents who are still in the process of getting their stuff situation,” he said. “They’re all in fear of having to leave this country and leave everything they know behind.”
Both of the El Gallo Mexican Grocery Stores also closed, along with the neighboring El Buen Vino Liquor store.
Those shops not only serve as important sources of food for their surrounding neighborhoods, but as hubs for the Hispanic community as well.
“If you think about those places being gone, those neighborhoods are essentially a food desert,” said Francisco Cortes, an employee of El Buen Vino. “If we’re not there, what are these communities doing?”
In many industries, immigrants are not only common, they’re a major source of labor.
Ivan Avalos owns a Rochester based DJ service, and frequently helps the various Hispanic owned restaurants with tech issues.
“Who cooks food at the restaurants?,” he said, speaking on behalf of many business owners who either can’t speak or struggle speaking English. “Who builds their homes and offices? Who cares for the elderly and children? If every immigrant didn’t show up for work, businesses would lose revenue, supply chains would be disrupted, and customers would feel the absence.”
The movement, called “A Day Without Immigrants,” is a nationwide, social media organized protest in response to the sweeping immigration policies that have been coming out of the Trump administration over the last few weeks.
It’s the second time such a protest has happened during a Trump presidency, the first occurring in 2017 after Trump’s threats to deport millions, build a wall, and enact travel bans with various Muslim countries.
Now, many of Trump’s latest policies have left business owners across the country, especially those living and working legally in the U.S., confused about their status.
“There’s a lot of people here that are either working to get their status or they may be in a country that they cannot go back to because of war happening,” said Avalos. “There’s things that make them feel so uncomfortable knowing that they might get deported.”
The protest only lasts one day. All the businesses will return to their normal hours Tuesday, but they hope the conversation doesn’t end their as well.
Many owners just want to raise awareness about the impact immigrants have in their communities and how these changes will impact Rochester and beyond.