For thousands of people across the state, Monday — dubbed “a Day Without Immigrants” — topped off a weekend of protests against Trump’s racist immigration crackdown. Dallas, Houston, Pflugerville, McAllen, and even deep East Texas saw hundreds of people marching and waving flags from a variety of Latin American countries as a sign of solidarity with immigrants.
In addition to marches, Monday’s “Day Without Immigrants” encourages people to stay home from work and school and to avoid shopping. The goal, as Central Texas business Vaquero Taquero wrote on Instagram, is to “let it be known that our parents, grandparents, and ancestors came to this land for opportunity” and to encourage people to reflect on how immigrants sustain the American economy. Gabriela’s Group, which has multiple businesses in Austin and Houston, announced their closure on Instagram. Meanwhile, in San Antonio, Karolina’s Antiques, La Cafetera Coffee Co., and Boom Boom Cleaners all announced their participation as well, according to MySanAntonio. In the Rio Grande Valley, lifestyle brand JZD wrote about their participation and posted on Instagram, “No one is illegal on stolen land.” In Dallas, boudoir photographer CinPhotos shared a personal story about Monday’s protests. “I was six months old when my mom escaped an abusive relationship & brought me to the US seeking medical care,” she wrote. “People will scream to ‘do it the right way,’ but thirty years later, there is still no pathway to citizenship for most folks who simply want to provide for their families and live in peace.”
“Don’t ever let them convince you that your impact doesn’t matter, because if it didn’t, they wouldn’t be trying so hard to keep us down. 🇲🇽✊🏼” CinPhotos wrote.
Still, on the heels of these community movements, the Trump administration and Gov. Greg Abbott continued targeting immigrants. Abbott posted on X late Sunday that “effective immediately” the Texas National Guard would be “granted the power of immigration officials to make immigration arrests.”
