Thousands Stayed Home On Thursday In A Boycott Called “A Day Without Immigrants”

Two weeks after New York City's Yemeni Bodega strike, thousands of students and employees around the country are staying home in an action that's being called "A Day Without Immigrants." The action, which includes abstaining from shopping and eating out, is reportedly in response to President Donald Trump's immigration policies in an effort to highlight the vital role of immigrants to the U.S.

“The ask has been: stay home, don’t shop, don’t go to work, and don’t send your kids to school,” Erika Almiron of immigrant rights group Juntos told The Nation.

The action comes as a response to Trump's now-halted immigrant travel ban, plans to build a Mexican border wall, and mass deportation crackdown.

According to Bon Appetit, several restaurants have also closed in solidarity. Celebrity chef José Andrés, who is supporting his employees in the strike, told NPR that the #ADayWithoutImmigrants boycott is meant to show America what would happen if immigrants disappeared. "It seems [immigrants] are under attack," he said.

"When you have employees that have been with you almost 25 years, and they come to you in an organized way and they tell you, 'Don't get upset but Thursday we are not coming to work,' [the] next thing you ask is, 'What's going on? What's happening?'" Andrés added. "So I decided to join them and support them — that's what we're doing."