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Denver business to close for 'Day Without Immigrants' protest

Posted at 8:42 AM, Feb 16, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-16 21:00:21-05

DENVER -- Immigrants in Denver and across the country are expected to stay home from school and work on Thursday to show how critical they are to the U.S. economy and way of life.

Some businesses in Denver plan to participate in the "A Day Without Immigrants" action by shutting down for the day.

Maria Empanada, an Argentinian restaurant on South Broadway, posted to Facebook that it will be closed Thursday.

Lorena, the restaurant’s owner, says in the Facebook post that she's a proud immigrant who came to America for a better life.

The post reads in part:

“In realizing my own American dream, I have the privilege of employing many people who have come here with the same intense work ethic and the spark of possibility in their eyes.”

The protests come in response to President Donald Trump, whose administration has pledged to increase the deportation of immigrants living in the country illegally. Trump campaigned on building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and blamed high unemployment on immigration. As president, he's called for a ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries from coming into the U.S.

Organizers expect thousands of people to participate or show solidarity with workers.

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