Several San Diego County business owners closed their doors for the day, kids stayed home from school and protesters rallied on street corners, including one group that briefly marched onto Interstate 5, as part of “A Day Without Immigrants” Monday.
Social media posts called for people to stay home from school and work and to refrain from shopping in solidarity with the movement that seeks to highlight the contributions of immigrant communities and push back against President Donald Trump’s plans for mass deportations. Cities across the country, from Minneapolis to Washington, D.C., to Chicago, participated Monday.
In San Ysidro and Barrio Logan’s Chicano Park, groups of protesters waved Mexican flags as they chanted and held signs in solidarity with immigrant communities. Some passing drivers honked in support.
Demonstrators said that walking off the job for a day was done to show people in various communities the important roles that Latinos and immigrants play but are often taken for granted.
“We’re showing how big we are, how much of an impact we have,” said Tonantzin Guadalupe Sanchez, a member of the Chicano Park Steering Committee. “Even if people don’t have papers, they still pay taxes, contribute to their community and economy. But they’re being treated like they don’t matter.”
Late in the afternoon, up to 50 people gathered in Barrio Logan and walked onto I-5, temporarily shutting down the freeway and the eastbound lanes of the Coronado Bridge. California Highway Patrol officers held back traffic, and police cars blocked the entrance of the freeway at Chicano Park, where the marchers continued to protest. There were no immediate arrests, San Diego police said.
“Sometimes you need to stop people in their tracks,” said Monique Sandoval-Salcido, one of the demonstrators. “People can be mad for a moment, two minutes, five minutes, but that’s five minutes of your day that you’re now paying attention to what’s really going on in our country.”
An even larger group of all ages then partially shut down traffic on Logan Avenue, cheering at passing drivers from behind a metal barrier and waving signs such as “Less ICE, More Rights” and “Stop separating families.”
As part of Trump’s deportation plan, his administration has rescinded previous policies that limited arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to “sensitive locations,” such as hospitals, churches or schools.
San Diego Unified School District’s Interim Superintendent Fabi Bagula said Monday that some students and families were participating in the “A Day Without Immigrants” protests.
“Our schools are safe spaces for students regardless of immigration status,” she said in a statement. “Staff will not give access to ICE without a judicial warrant. No matter the challenges that arise due to the actions of the federal government, our unwavering commitment remains to ensure our schools are safe, supported, and protected spaces for children.”
Many businesses — such as Las Ahumaderas, a Chula Vista taco shop with Tijuana roots, and the Abeja Reina Antojitos Mexicanos restaurant in Chula Vista — also closed in solidarity across San Diego County.
“This is not a political statement,” Common Stock, a gastropub in Hillcrest, wrote in a social media message. “It is an expression of our unwavering love and appreciation for the role immigrants — particularly those of Latin American descent — play in our industry, and our lives.”
“The reality is that without immigrants, our restaurant and our industry at large simply do not function. From the heart of house to the front, from suppliers to farmworkers, their contributions shape the food we serve, the hospitality we provide, and the communities we cultivate,” the post added.
On Sunday, spurred on by its staff, the Cocina De Barrio Mexican restaurant posted signs near its front door indicating that it would be closed Monday.
At around 7 p.m., however, a rock smashed through a window of the North Park location, said Karen Valenzuela, corporate general manager of the Cocina De Barrio chain. The restaurant’s security camera captured footage of a vehicle driving away from the restaurant. San Diego police arrived at the scene around 11 p.m. and began an investigation.
Valenzuela said there was “speculation” that the vandalism was connected with the restaurant’s participation in Monday’s demonstration.
“We’re disappointed that this happened and we’re sad,” Valenzuela said. “But life goes on and we’re going to reopen tomorrow and put (the window) back up and continue, which is, you know, a sign of resilience,” she said.
Valenzuela said there are no regrets. “We’re going to continue with what we do,” she said. “It’s definitely not going to stop us.”
Machete Beer House, in National City, said on Instagram it was closing “in solidarity with our brothers and sisters.”
Kalaveras, a cocktail bar and restaurant with multiple locations, including one in Chula Vista, announced all its restaurants would stay closed Monday.
The comments were mixed, with one person saying, “Y’all make no difference for 1 day LMAO,” and another saying “The hispanic [sic] community will see your support!!” Others said they hope the workers who would have worked Monday will get paid. Another pointed to the risk businesses take by taking a principled stance: that they might alienate customers who have the opposite view.
“This is going to cost you,” one man wrote.
De Cabeza / El Único, a taco shop also in Chula Vista, shared a message of hope and progress, in Spanish.
“We hope that soon, just and equitable solutions will be found, which will allow our workers to continue contributing their labor with dignity, and without fear,” they wrote. “The success of our businesses and the well-being of our community are inextricably tied to the progress of the whole of society.”
Staff writers Christian Martinez and Abby Hamblin contributed to this report.
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