Upscale restaurants cancelled long-standing reservations. Some ubiquitous fast-casual chains were closed. And teachers posted pictures on social media of their empty classrooms.
Immigrants across the country were on strike Thursday to highlight their importance to the American economy to a new administration that has taken a hard line stance on immigration policies.
More World News Videos
- Video duration
- 00:46
Court blocking of immigration ban 'crazy'
Court blocking of immigration ban 'crazy'
White House adviser Stephen Miller launches a blistering attack on the federal appeals court that blocked President Trump's executive order on immigration calling it 'crazy.'
Up Next
'A day without immigrants' wins celebrity chef support
- Video duration
- 01:56
- Video duration
- 01:56
'A day without immigrants' wins celebrity ...
'A day without immigrants' wins celebrity chef support
Celebrity chef Jose Andres, is supporting immigrants protesting Trump's tough stance on immigration by staying home from work or school. The protest aims to highlight the role immigrants play in the US.
Up Next
Media is 'out of control' with dishonesty: Trump
- Video duration
- 01:38
- Video duration
- 01:38
Media is 'out of control' with ...
Media is 'out of control' with dishonesty: Trump
US President Donald Trump rips into the media for being 'out of control' and says 'this administration is running like a fine-tuned machine'.
Up Next
New start up hires refugee language tutors
- Video duration
- 01:57
- Video duration
- 01:57
New start up hires refugee language tutors
New start up hires refugee language tutors
A new UK-based startup is hiring refugees to teach languages, including Swahili, Arabic, Korean and Farsi, to university students, business people and private clients.
Up Next
Trump to issue new immigration order
- Video duration
- 01:42
- Video duration
- 01:42
Trump to issue new immigration order
Trump to issue new immigration order
US President Donald Trump says he will issue a new immigration order next week aimed at keeping the American people safe.
Up Next
Suicide bombing kills scores in Pakistan
- Video duration
- 00:39
- Video duration
- 00:39
Suicide bombing kills scores in Pakistan
Suicide bombing kills scores in Pakistan
People have been killed and dozens more wounded in one of the deadliest bombings to rock Pakistan in recent years.
Up Next
Helicopter pilot asks truckie for directions
- Video duration
- 01:27
- Video duration
- 01:27
Helicopter pilot asks truckie for ...
Helicopter pilot asks truckie for directions
Lorry drivers are shocked as a helicopter lands on a Kazakhstan road, holding up traffic, because the pilot is lost.
Up Next
'Our house is on fire right now'
- Video duration
- 01:10
- Video duration
- 01:10
'Our house is on fire right now'
'Our house is on fire right now'
Henry Reese looks on in disbelief as his home is destroyed by huge wildfires in Christchurch, where more than 1,000 have been evacuated and a state of emergency has been declared.
Court blocking of immigration ban 'crazy'
White House adviser Stephen Miller launches a blistering attack on the federal appeals court that blocked President Trump's executive order on immigration calling it 'crazy.'
The strike, spurred by a social-media campaign, calls for immigrants to not come into work, avoid spending money and not send their children to school. It spans across all businesses, but it's the restaurant industry - where immigrants make up nearly 23 per cent of the national workforce, according to data compiled by the Institute for Immigration Research at George Mason University - that seems to be affected most by the strike.
Scores of restaurants in Washington, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix and beyond shuttered for the day. Some schools and day-care centres also were closed, with teachers reporting low attendance numbers on social media.
Related Content
On #DayWithoutImmigrants support your local #immigration organization https://t.co/L7nfNJM46n#undocumented #immigrant #immyouth pic.twitter.com/D492OV2fol
— NYSYLC (@NYSYLC) February 16, 2017
"What a powerful message! My classroom is empty!" a middle school teacher in Minnesota tweeted.
In the Washington region, where about 48 per cent of people working in the restaurant industry were born in a foreign country, dozens of restaurants were closed. Food service operations in the Senate were operating on reduced hours. Sweetgreen is closing its 20 or so fast-casual salad outposts in the region.
And celebrity chef Jose Andres - a Spanish immigrant who is in a legal battle with President Donald Trump after he backed out of a contract to open a restaurant in DC's Trump International Hotel after Trump made anti-immigrant statements - is closing a number of his restaurants in the region.
Other restaurants are opting to stay open with limited menu options.
It's unclear how many people are participating in the strike, but Clarissa Martinez, the deputy vice president at the National Council of La Raza - a national Latino advocacy organisation - said it's already sending a strong message.
"In a time when the administration doesn't seem to see anything positive about the immigrant community," Martinez said, "having small business owners, chefs and their workers challenge that notion and give voice to the very real ways immigrants contribute to society is very significant."
Critics of the strike say that immigrants who entered the country illegally should not be protected. Employers and participants of the strike are not distinguishing between who is in the country legally and who is undocumented.
Washington Post