13.3 percent of the US population are immigrants. 26 percent of the US population is either an immigrant or a first generation American. So what if all these people took today off–from work and school? From the looks of things, this isn’t an isolated event. The hashtag, #DayWithoutImmigrants, is trending on Twitter, and people are reporting that even small communities are on board. One child reports that his school bus was mostly empty, a parent reports that a local restaurant is shut down for the day, and everyone is talking about it.
How is your business being affected? National origin discrimination laws prevent us from hiring only citizens, and you might be surprised at how many of your co-workers entered this world in a different country, and if not them, then their parents.
To keep reading, click here: How Is the Day Without Immigrants Going For You?
And please, in the comments, say how you were affected and if you’re an immigrant, if you participated. I’m interested to know!
Here in Dallas, Texas — which has the 4th largest population of Hispanic immigrants in America — a lot of restaurants are closed. Haven’t yet heard the school absenteeism figures, but expect they will be high.
The now-published figure on public school absenteeism is 1,100+.
I’m interested to see this. It doesn’t seem like it’s been recognized much locally, though I heard about it on national radio this morning. I’m at a conference and many staff are immigrants still working today.
Some closures, including construction sites, and marches.
I live in an urban area with about a 35% Hispanic population and about 15% Asian population. We’ve actually had A Day Without Latinos here for years. Yes some sores are closed and the school absentee rate will be higher than typical.
But other than noticing a few closed stores and a few short staffed businesses or emptier classrooms…what impact will it have? I haven’t heard reports of loss of profit to any business…no reports of inconvenience to consumers…no detriment to the school system. No real moment of “pain” where we say, “whoa, yea, we’d really be at a loss without immigrants.”
Now, if the Day is just to make folks aware that immigrants are among us, then the Day is a success. But if the Day is about showing folks how much the nation would really hurt without immigrant inclusion, I’m not sure the Day has been successful. I guess I’m just unclear about the objective relative to the execution…
immigrants are fine and welcome in the USA. Illegal border jumpers are not. These folks cannot get jobs because of their status, or get very low paying jobs illegally. Who do you think is paying for them, their children, their health care. We have a system that allows legal entrance into the country. That is the standard we need to follow and support.
Since undocumented immigrants do not qualify for welfare, they are paying for themselves and their children. It’s been well-documented that America benefits from a premium consisting of taxes withheld from the earnings of undocumented immigrants who cannot legally file tax returns to claim any refunds due.
Undocumented adults may not get some benefits, but their born in the USA children do. According to a recent LA Times article, “state officials have estimated that services which go to California’s illegal population add between $4 billion and $6 billion to state spending.” I doubt unclaimed tax refunds comes anywhere close to that.
Well, if that number includes the children, then it’s not money that’s going to “illegal” people – the children are legal, whether anyone likes it or not.
I only know of one shop in my area that closed for this event (owned by an Hispanic). I guess they could afford to lose the money by not being opened. I live in one of the areas rated top with illegal immigrants. I can only hope this owner is not an illegal immigrant but someone who has been processed into citizenship and has developed a small viable business. I now know why they told me about closing today. (Guess I look Hispanic but I am a second generation child of Italian immigrants who came here in 1904). There is a system that has been bypassed and abused to get legal entrance into USA. I have known many people who have come to this country over the years and they have had problems getting thru the system because of the paperwork involved because they first came here on a short term visit and decided to stay, so they had to change their status and get work spousership,etc, but they made the path to citizenship. It takes a five to seven year process if done right. So why are so many people who have been here decades still not citizens. It can’t be a total ignorance of what needs to be done because of lack of communication as most anything is given in multiple languages. I got an idea of why from watching a show on TV which showed someone who was maintaining dual citizenship and lived in both places. Is this what our large illegal immigrant population is doing–maintaining citizenship in their old country. It doesn’t make sense if you live here for decades.
America has not had an amnesty program since Ronald Reagan. Many of the undocumented immigrants here now would be happy to be given a path to citizenship, but none currently exists.
I live in southwest Missouri. The city in which I live is 91% white (I looked it up). People here are working–my favorite Chinese restaurant, which is run by Cambodian immigrants, is open, and I gave them my business today. I’m not working, but that’s because I don’t have a job right now. If I did, I would have taken the day off, even if I had to do it unpaid.
Because [squid lips] this stupid racist xenophobic Fourth Reich [squid lips].
Didn’t affect me one bit. While I do work with a lot of immigrants, none of them are illegal aliens. The came to the US the proper, respectful way – legally!
As far as stores and restaurants closing – well, please do. That way I know which places to avoid since I do not want to support anyone who knowingly breaks the law.
Why do you think that someplace that closes on A Day Without Us is involved in illegal immigration?
they are passing out flyers that state so – that’s why. Maybe not where you are; but, by me that is exactly how the whole thing is being billed – as a day without “undocumented immigrants.”
Who’s passing out flyers?
Seconding the whole “Why do you think this has anything to do with illegal immigration?” question
Everyone at my office came in anyway — and most of them speak Spanish, as do most of our clients (and I’m studying it). They all needed the money more than they wanted to make a political gesture.
Just because someone speak Spanish doesn’t mean that they’re an immigrant…
I didn’t even know this was a thing. So I guess it did not impact me one bit.
The “immigrant” issue is a many-faceted, difficult, and often divisive issue. One of the main problems I see with it is the definition of terms, the propensity to lump different classes into one homogeneous group.
So, generally:
A refugee is an individual seeking refuge or asylum who has left his or her native country and is unwilling or unable to return to it because of persecution or fear of persecution (e.g., race, religion, membership in a particular social group, political opinion, and so on); typically refugees do not get to choose their new country.
An immigrant is someone who comes to one country from another country, in hopes of having a better life; the person could choose to remain in their home country, but chooses, freely, to come to the second country.
Refugees and immigrants enter a host country either legally or illegally.
Since the United States is (one hopes) a nation of laws, we all are (or should be) obligated to either follow those laws or change them through accepted and legal political and social processes.
Organizing and participating in a “Day without immigrants” is a legitimate way of bringing social awareness and pressure to bear on an important issue.
If, however, the “Without” day is an attempt to legitimize illegal immigrants and to blend “legals” and “illegals” into one group, then it is misguided and dangerous.
It seems to me that we would all benefit by realizing the very real contributions legal refugees / immigrants make to this country, and by working diligently together to solve the illegal problem.
Discussing / arguing about / characterizing legals and illegals as if they were all one unified group merely muddies the water and makes legitimate solutions impossible.