Photo: Olivia P. Tallet, Olivia P. Tallet / Houston Chronicle
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A accumulation of advisers of Tacos A Go Go at 3704 Main St. in Houston conversing central the restaurant, which was bankrupt to the accessible for A Day Afterwards Immigrants affirmation on February 16, 2017.
A accumulation of advisers of Tacos A Go Go at 3704 Main St. in Houston conversing central the restaurant, which was bankrupt to the accessible for A Day Afterwards Immigrants affirmation on February 16, 2017.
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Closed signs adhere in the windows of Torchy's Tacos on Shepherd Drive during the civic Day WithoutImmigrants protests Thursday in Houston.
Closed signs adhere in the windows of Torchy's Tacos on Shepherd Drive during the civic Day WithoutImmigrants protests Thursday in Houston.
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La Paletera Ice Chrism and Fruit Cups on Bellaire Blvd. in Houston bankrupt for the Day afterwards Immigrants affirmation in Houston, on February 16, 2017.
La Paletera Ice Chrism and Fruit Cups on Bellaire Blvd. in Houston bankrupt for the Day afterwards Immigrants affirmation in Houston, on February 16, 2017.
Scenes from 'A Day afterwards Immigrants' in Houston
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Several businesses bankrupt in Houston on Thursday as allotment of a civic affirmation alleged "A Day afterwards Immigrants" prompted by President Trump's clearing controlling adjustment and deportations in several states, including Texas, which accept affronted fears amid undocumented immigrants and their families and supporters.
"Our employees, behindhand of breadth they were born, are the affection and body of Natachee's," said a assurance at the aperture of Natachee's restaurant abreast burghal Houston, answer why they were not aperture Thursday.
“Our employees, behindhand of breadth they were born, are the affection and body of Natachee’s,” said a sing at the aperture of Natachee’s restaurant abreast burghal in Houston. The restaurant was bankrupt on February 16, 2017 for A Day afterwards Immigrants demonstration.
“Our employees, behindhand of breadth they were born, are the heart...
Sharon Haynes, the buyer of Tacos A Go Go on Main St., additionally bankrupt her restaurant. "We asked our advisers if they were planning on advancing to work, and I heard an cutting acknowledgment from (them) that they didn't appetite to appear to work," said Haynes.
Haynes explains that, as a business owner, she was larboard with two choices: "I could abuse to blaze those bodies that accept been alive for me for years, if they didn't appearance up to assignment today. Or I could abutting the restaurant for the day, so for me, it was an accessible best to abutting the restaurant."
Sharon Haynes, the buyer of Tacos A Go Go at 3704 Main St. in Houston, absitively to abutting her restaurant on the Day afterwards Immigrants affirmation on February 16, 2017. She said that as a business owner, she was larboard with two choices: “I could abuse to blaze those people, bodies that accept been alive for me for years, if they didn’t appearance up to assignment today, or I could abutting the restaurant for the day, so for me it was an accessible best to abutting the restaurant.”
Sharon Haynes, the buyer of Tacos A Go Go at 3704 Main St. in...
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Iris de León, an crooked immigrant who was brought from Mexico by her ancestors back she was a minor, was one of the customers who went to Tacos A Go Go during cafeteria time and begin it closed.
"I am a DACA (beneficiary)," said De León, acceptation that she is a almsman of the Obama administration's controlling adjustment Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which protects assertive adolescent immigrants from displacement and provides a assignment permit.
People "know that we are allowance the U.S. appealing abundant every day, so it's absorbing to see aloof one day afterwards immigrants alive for bodies to apprehend what we do for our country," said De León.
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Just a block abroad from Tacos A Go Go, The Breakfast Klub backward open. The administrator Hector Machuca, an immigrant from Mexico, said he wasn't acquainted of the demonstration.
"We didn't know, and cipher asked actuality about it, but we had two bodies that alleged in ailing today," Machuca commented.
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Enrique Bravo, the architect and owner of the Pollo Bravo chain, says he gave permission to the workers of his bristles restaurants to adjudge if they capital to skip assignment today afterwards consequence.
One of the restaurants bankrupt (Richmond and Beltway 8) and the others adapted their operations to break accessible with the absence of some workers.
Bravo, an immigrant from Mexico who has lived in the U.S. for 20 years, aloof opened his fifth Pollo Bravo aftermost anniversary at 7001 Harrisburg Blvd. in the East End. He said he complies with all government requests in his hiring policies.
Bravo said his accommodation as an employer was based "on my account to my workers." However, he doesn't accept the accepted Day afterwards Immigrants will accept a abundant appulse because abounding workers cannot allow to lose a day afterwards income, he added.
"If we Latinos were absolutely united, what we should do is accept A Day afterwards Immigrants during the Rodeo (in Houston)," said Bravo. "If we, all the Latinos of Houston, adjudge not to go to the Tejano Day, again we would absolutely appearance our appulse in this city. That would absolutely be an impactful demonstration."
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In the River Oaks breadth of the city, a business buyer called Steve Gordon was sitting central his BMW alfresco Torchy's Tacos on South Shepherd, demography a minute to adjudge breadth abroad he was activity to go for cafeteria afterwards acumen that the restaurant was bankrupt for the Day afterwards Immigrants demonstration.
"I additionally like to appearance adherence with immigrants," said Gordon, advertence that he didn't apperception the aggravation of award the restaurant closed. "We do accept that immigrants should be accustomed to break in our economy, they should be admired as allusive individuals aural our society."
Referring to a abridgement of clearing ameliorate that would acclimatize the cachet of workers active in the shadows, Gordon said that "What the federal government is doing, by actuality clumsy to break this botheration shows the blemish of our politicians."
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"I anticipate this is appealing awesome," said Jennifer Sarkisian, alfresco Torchy's Tacos, about the restaurant acknowledging immigrants. "A lot of bodies don't acknowledge the actuality that immigrants appear to our country to comedy an important role, and we booty the assignment they do for granted."
Sarkisian is a adolescent Hispanic woman whose ancestors acclimatized in Texas in the 1890s and is affiliated to an Armenian from a ancestors that came to the U.S. over a hundred years ago.
"Some of us came beforehand and others added recently, but we all came to alive the American Dream," said Sarkisian. "Some immigrants may be (undocumented), but they assignment endlessly and get paid so low; all they appetite is to abutment their families, and we can't do this afterwards them."
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Pia and Golo, a brace of Germans visiting Houston, were amused by the abrupt acquaintance they were accepting as tourists in the U.S. during the Day afterwards Immigrants.
They were brash to go to Torchy's to try some "good tacos, but we are animated to see businesses continuing abaft immigrants," said Golo. His adherent Pia added that "We appear from Hamburg (North Germany) and it´s the aforementioned thing. We accept a lot of immigrants... and afterwards them, a lot of things wouldn't work."
Pia said they didn't apperception that the restaurant was closed. "We will survive; we are not activity to starve," she said while abrogation to accept some tacos instead at La Tapatia restaurant on Richmond, which was open.
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La Paletera Ice Chrism and Fruit Cups on Bellaire Blvd. in Houston bankrupt for the Day afterwards Immigrants affirmation in Houston, on February 16, 2017.
La Paletera Ice Chrism and Fruit Cups on Bellaire Blvd. in Houston...
Around Bellaire Boulevard., an breadth with a aerial citizenry of Hispanic and Asian residents, abounding restaurants were open, as was the case at Pho Vn 21 specializing in Vietnamese food.
"It's business as accepted here. Everybody came to work," said Tran Thai, the agent in allegation on Thursday who is a Vietnamese immigrant. Speaking chatty English, she said she accustomed in Houston accurately a ages ago.
Across Pho Vn 21, the ice chrism boutique La Paletera bankrupt for the Day Afterwards Immigrants demonstration.
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Olivia.Tallet@chron.com
Twitter: @oliviaptallet
