Businesses across the country closed or employees did not show on Monday in observance of “A Day Without Immigrants,” a protest highlighting the contributions of immigrant workers and opposing policies under President Donald Trump.

The protest, first held on Feb. 16, 2017, began in response to Trump’s plans to build a border wall and deport millions of undocumented immigrants during his first term. Participants refrained from work, school, and shopping to demonstrate the economic impact of immigrants.

In Fresno, normally busy businesses sat empty. A gas station at Herndon and West avenues saw little traffic.

Juli’s Taqueria, a popular breakfast and lunch spot inside a Shop-N-Go, remained quiet. An employee said the slowdown was unusual and attributed it to the protest.

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Pico De Gallo, a restaurant at Palm and Bullard, also closed for the day. Several other local restaurants did not answer calls seeking confirmation of their status.

Fresno Unified School District is still awaiting numbers on students absent today.

Protests All Over the US

The protest comes days after Trump signed the Laken Riley Act early in his second term. The law requires immigration officers to detain unauthorized immigrants arrested for crimes such as burglary, theft, and assaulting a law enforcement officer. It allows detention and deportation based on an accusation rather than a conviction.

Similar demonstrations took place in cities nationwide, including Chicago and New York.

In New York City, the Union-Bulletin reported that many stores along Port Richmond Avenue in Staten Island were closed, including home furnishings stores displaying signs that read, “Support the immigrant community, united we will never be defeated.”

Delis, grocery stores, and gift shops along the street were also shuttered.

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