Calgary Restaurants Will Test If The U.S. Can Stomach 'A Day Without Immigrants' | HuffPost Voices - Action.News ABC Action News WestNet-HD Weather Traffic

Restaurant owners across the country are hoping the way to the nations conscience is through its stomach as they prepare to close their businesses in solidarity with immigrants on Thursday.

The restaurateurs are doing their part to support the grassroots movement dubbed A Day Without Immigrants, which asks immigrants not to go to work, open their businesses or buy any products for a full day on Feb. 16. The goal is to impress on President Donald Trump the importance of immigration.

Im happy about it, said Benjamin Miller , co-owner of El Compadre and South Philly Barbacoa restaurants in Philadelphia. [Im] glad to see that chefs are stepping up and taking agency and using their power to advocate for people who are more vulnerable. The most we as chefs risk are fines, but these people risk losing their families. They have a lot more to lose.

Millers wife and business partner, Cristina Martinez, is especially invested in the cause because she is an undocumented immigrant currently unable to apply for a green card , despite being married to a U.S. citizen. The couple will close El Compadre on Thursday. (Their other restaurant opens only on weekends.)

Its no surprise that restaurateurs are taking a stand against the Trump administrations immigration crackdown , which has led to an uptick in raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities. An estimated 1.2 million undocumented immigrants work in food preparation and serving jobs in the United States, according to 2012 Pew Research Center data.

Some high-profile names in the restaurant business have signed on to the effort, including Spanish-born chef Jos Andrs, who was sued by Trump after he pulled out of plans to open a restaurant in the new Trump hotel in Washington, D.C. Andrs announced on Twitter that he will be closing all five of his D.C. area restaurants on Thursday in solidarity.

In support of our people & #ADayWithoutImmigrants Thurs 2/16 we will not open @jaleo DC CC MD, @zaytinya or @oyameldc #ImmigrantsFeedAmerica

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In support of our people & #ADayWithoutImmigrants Thurs 2/16 we will not open @jaleo DC CC MD, @zaytinya or @oyameldc #ImmigrantsFeedAmerica
Jos Andrs (@chefjoseandres) February 14, 2017

The Blue Ribbon restaurant group has also vowed to close seven of its restaurants in New York City.

This is not a casual decision, Blue Ribbon partner Eric Bromberg told Eater New York , adding that closing their doors will definitely impact their bottomline. But there are times in life when money isnt the most important thing.

Two other notable chefs with Philadelphia locations, Stephen Starr and Ecuadorian-American Jose Garces, have not said they will shut down for the day, but they are promising not to fire or otherwise punish any employee who decides to participate in A Day Without Immigrants.

We recognize the immigrant community is an essential part of the hospitality industry. ... We support the right for hospitality industry employees to have their voices heard, Garces said in a statement to HuffPost. We are in close communication with any employees who plan to participate Thursday and doing our best to mitigate against any potential impact to our guests experience. We will not take any adverse action with any employee who chooses to participate.

Any decision not to open even for a day is particularly difficult for those who own small businesses. Melissa Silva-Diaz, CEO and owner of the El Burrito Mercado in St. Paul, Minnesota , decided to close her family-owned eatery on Thursday after hearing about the day of protest from customers and workers.

We had employees and a couple of customers send us the image of Un Da Sin Inmigrantes, Silva-Diaz, whose parents are from Aguascalientes, Mexico, said on Wednesday. I began to ask around and I asked employees, and some said they were planning on not working. That triggered a conversation. We had a meeting yesterday. We had a healthy discussion about it. I asked each individually what they wanted to do. I reached out to other businesses. Everyone was talking about it. Then we took a vote and unanimously we decided to do it.

She acknowledged that many of her customers arent happy about the decision. But she said, Thats what we want to do, to bring people awareness and get them talking.

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