Storified by Amber Borrero · Wed, Feb 22 2017 07:03:39
Thousands of people around the country who identify themselves as immigrants protested against Trump’s administration policies. This protest was called A Day Without Immigrants. It did not matter whether the person was a naturalized citizen or undocumented. About ten years ago, immigrants accounted for 56% of the increase in U.S. employment. Roughly 12 million people are employed in the restaurant industry and immigrants make up the majority of that population. According to Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, about 1.3 million illegal immigrants work in the industry. This protest called for immigrants to stay home from work or school, close their business and abstain from shopping.
Restaurants in Chicago and Washington D.C. closed in support of this protest. In addition, a teacher in Texas stated that only seven out of her 26 students came to school on Thursday. There were many businesses on social media that supported this protest. For example, an Italian marketplace in Etaly, Boston posted a picture of pasta, olive oil, wine, coffee beans & other goods with the headline: “We were all imported.”
Protesters wanted to show America the importance of Immigrants. They also wanted to show President Trump the effect immigrants have on the country on a daily basis. One of the main reasons behind this protest was because of Trump’s travel ban. Trump signed an executive order to keep refugees from entering the country for 120 days and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim nations out for three months. These countries include Syria, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia.
18 People Fired After Participating In #ADayWithoutImmigrants https://t.co/f40l0v8eqG
Participating in this protest was a huge risk for some people. While some businesses supported this protest, others were against it resulting in the employee losing their job. Over a hundred people lost their jobs due to this protest. This relates to our class because it shows how people who use social media think they are news reporters. We don’t need the news channels anymore because we have social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Companies Firing Illegals who Participated in #ADayWithoutImmigrants YOU'RE FIRED! https://t.co/IXUEPes54u
