On February 16, 2017, about a month ago, the “A Day Without Immigrants” boycott took place in a nationwide protest in response to President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration through his executive orders. It was an effort to highlight how critical immigrants are to the country’s economy and way of life. The movement came about via social media in a similar fashion to how the Women’s March was started. Demonstrations were held in major cities across the United States including New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Los Angles, etc. Hundreds of restaurants and shopping centers closed their doors in solidarity with the movement. Many individuals showed their support by staying home from work and school. Several ralliers participated in marches across the country to further the cause.

While spirits were high for this movement, it has also caused a bit of controversy. Some criticized the execution of the boycott saying it was more hurtful than helpful. Many of the ralliers who marched in the streets blocked the flow of traffic causing traffic jams through the nation. Children who didn’t attend school that day may have missed important information. Some individuals who stayed home from work were fired from their jobs. In addition to that, many people were not even aware that this movement was going on. Some would argue that the shouts from the marches’ participators fell on deaf ears. ‘A Day Without Immigrants’ was noble and bold, but was possibly still not enough to show the nation and the president how vital immigrants really are to America.