Businesses across the U.S., from child day cares to grocery stores, closed their doors Monday to mark “a day without immigrants” in protest of the Trump administration’s mass raids and deportations. Students also skipped school to join the peaceful action. Thousands of people took to the streets in cities nationwide, including in Phoenix, Arizona; New York; and Los Angeles.
Protesters also rallied outside Trump Tower in downtown Chicago. This is Melanie, the daughter of undocumented immigrants, who held a sign that read “Speaking out for immigrants who can’t!”
Melanie: “On the other side, I have, like, 'Immigrants built America,' because who’s the one who does your crops? It’s immigrants. They’re the ones in the fields. Who picks up your trash? It’s immigrants. They’re the ones that are cleaning out the offices, the bathrooms. Everywhere you work, they’re the ones that clean up. They’re not the ones that are sitting in an office desk doing paperwork. They’re the ones behind everything.”