24 Danbury Businesses Close to Show the Importance of Immigrant Workers

It’s called A Day Without Immigrants and it’s meant to show Americans how important immigrants are to the U.S. economy.

24 Danbury businesses are taking part today (Feb. 16), along with hundreds of others from all over the country including La Mitad del Mundo owned by Wilson Hernandez who told the NewsTimes:

We need to stand with these people. What’s happening in Washington D.C. is not right...

They want to deport criminals, they say, and they think crossing one border was criminal.

Joel Peralta, the owner of Hat City Market said that he was going to lose money by not opening, but believes the principle of the protest is more important. Danbury Mayor, Mark Boughton weighed in, telling the NewsTimes that he’s glad people are expressing their first amendment rights, “Because that’s what America is all about.”

This week, a flyer circulated throughout Danbury’s business community listing the 24 Latino-owned businesses that have decided to close down to show solidarity against Trump’s immigration policies. Word of the protest spread quickly through social media via Twitter hashtag #DayWithoutImmigrants.