Several businesses in the D.C. area were shutdown Monday as immigrants across the nation protested President Donald Trump鈥檚 crackdown on illegal immigration by not going to work Monday.
The initiative, called 鈥淎 Day Without Immigrants,鈥� is meant to highlight the importance of immigrants to the nation鈥檚 economy and society.
In the D.C. area, several businesses are showing their support by closing for the day, including Republic Cantina in Northwest D.C.
鈥淲e are not a terribly political brand,” owner Chris Svetlik told 草莓传媒. “We’re in the business of hospitality. We don’t really use our megaphone to talk about political issues that much.鈥�
Other D.C.-area restaurants that said they are closing for 鈥淎 Day Without Immigrants” include in Burtonsville, Maryland, and the Maryland.
Republic Cantina urged people to speak out against “anti-immigrant policy.”
鈥淭his is an issue that is quite near and dear to us, and our team, so many people who work on our team 鈥� immigrants, asylum-seekers, refugees 鈥� they are just truly important members of our community,” Svetlik said.
Svetlik is co-owner of Hill East Burger in Southeast which .
鈥淔olks work hard. They pay their taxes; they raise their kids here they go to church,鈥� Svetlik said. 鈥淥ur communities are made a lot stronger with immigrants, and it’s been dismaying to see an increase in anti-immigrant rhetoric.鈥�
Along with a show of support to his team, he said closing was a practical matter.
鈥淚f staff are not there, we can’t open the restaurant,” Svetlik said.
He said he learned of the protest through staff, and after an informal vote, the team decided to close Monday.
鈥淚 think that, that is the point of the protest, is to make that point clearly, that our hospitality industry, and our construction industry and our farming industry, they don’t work without the labor of immigrants,鈥� Svetlik said.
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