Image : media2.s-nbcnews.com

It cannot be denied that the United States is a favorite destination of immigrants from around the world because the country is where they think they could realize their dream of freedom and a better life. Admittedly the U.S. became what it is today because of the millions of immigrants that toiled tirelessly despite harsh situations to make the country great. With the January edict of President Trump to impose a travel ban on particular countries, many forms of protests were mounted by citizens.

Over 100 employees fired

Employees from various cities across the country did not report for work last Thursday to support the informal protest. However, the following day, they found out that they have been fired from their jobs. Affected were several businesses, including day care centers and restaurants in various states, such as New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Florida. It was learned that some employers already warned their employees that they risk losing their jobs if they joined the protest. These employees are all immigrants, some naturalized citizens while others are still undocumented.

Bradley Coatings, Inc. in Tennessee fired 18 employees, according to the company’s attorney. The same happened to some employees at the Grace Community School in Florida. Twenty-five employees were escorted by police from the Ben’s Kosher Delicatessen Restaurant & Caterers located in Long Island, New York. While they are undocumented, they have been working at the restaurant for several years.

In South Carolina, a boat manufacturer fired 21 employees, while in Oklahoma, 12 cooks were fired from a restaurant. In Denver, 30 workers from a masonry company were fired. In total, more than 100 immigrant workers lost their jobs because they did not report for work for one day.

From social media messages

The incident started from messages from social media sites, basically calling for a boycott that reverberated across the immigrant communities in the U.S. There was no national group behind it. The messages only said to stay home for that day or to refrain from shopping, or close their business for the day, February 16. It started as a grassroots movement that quickly escalated. Many restaurants, including food chains such as Taco Bell, Starbucks and Sbarro’s in Washington were closed.

Sympathy from other communities

Although those who lost their jobs were immigrants, the sympathy for immigrants came not only from the various immigrant communities but from Americans as well. Famous Chicago chef Rick Bayless, owner of the award-winning Frontera Grill, which specializes in Mexican food, closed a number of his restaurants on Thursday. He said that the revenues from his restaurants that remained open on that day would be donated to a refugee rights and immigrant group.

The immigrant workers were not the only ones who joined the protest. Many school children also did not go to school. Some schools reported that their school buses only had two to four children in them. Other school districts reported that more than half of the student population in their schools were absent on Thursday.

The pro-immigrant protests continued through the weekend. In Dallas, people held the Presidents’ Day Weekend March and Rally on Friday whereas in Los Angeles, they held the Free the People Immigration March on the same day.