These Haunting Photos Reveal What a Day Without Immigrants Looks Like in America

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What does a melting pot like America look like without immigrants? Thanks to the nationwide Day Without Immigrants protest on Feb. 16, people across the country can now see for themselves. Foreign-born people across the United States staged walkouts, marches, and other acts of protest by staying home from work and school to combat the Trump administration's extreme immigration agenda.

Highlighting the important role that immigrants play in every area of American society, from the financial to the cultural, protest participants let their absence speak even louder than their words. Using #DayWithoutImmigrants on social media, photos and stories of empty desks and workplaces made clear precisely how vital the contributions of immigrants are to daily American life.

Read on for some of the most powerful images from the protest, then learn about several immigration issues facing Americans today.

Bravo to the workers. #daywithoutimmigrants

A post shared by Max (@maxlibris) on Feb 16, 2017 at 9:30am PST

Day Without Immigrants ✊🏻 | #Detroit #CesarChavezHighSchool #school #immigration #latinos #unite #detroitinsider #detroitproud #detroit_igers #motorcityshooters #rawdetroit #local4 #puredetroit #daywithoutimmigrants #protest #dumptrump

A post shared by Ramiro Zarate, Jr. (@4thshiftdetroit) on Feb 16, 2017 at 10:03am PST

"a day without immigrants" when driving from my house to a library nearby, i passed by 22 businesses that closed up shop today in solidarity with latinos across the states, my family's shop being one of them. i love this all so much. #lovetrumpshate #latinxactivism #latinarebels #adaywithoutimmigrants

A post shared by alexandra muñoz (@unklealexandrawrites) on Feb 16, 2017 at 2:07pm PST

Our empty warehouse! #adaywithoutimmigrants

A post shared by Gabriella 💋 H. Rodriguez (@_gabriellaj_artistry) on Feb 16, 2017 at 1:11pm PST

No farmers today at the Farmers Market in support of a Day Without Immigrants #adaywithoutimmigrants #sanfrancisco #farmersmarket #ferrybuilding

A post shared by Joslyn Baker (@terroirista) on Feb 16, 2017 at 1:37pm PST

What class looks like on #daywithoutimmigrants. #tumbleweeds

A post shared by Todd W Smith (@tourstar413) on Feb 16, 2017 at 8:49am PST

What #adaywithoutimmigrants does to my cut shop. No immigrants, no meat.

A post shared by Nicholas H. Phillips (@field_general_phillips) on Feb 16, 2017 at 12:16pm PST

🙌 #adaywithoutimmigrants

A post shared by LG🏴 (@el.gonzalez) on Feb 16, 2017 at 1:04pm PST

Many businesses at Santee Alley closed for #adaywithoutimmigrants

A post shared by Lauren Day (@laurendaynews) on Feb 16, 2017 at 1:52pm PST

A day without immigrants. Don't really see it till you see it. #daywithoutimmigrants #feelingit #makethemasterswork

A post shared by Noel (@entkin) on Feb 16, 2017 at 8:49am PST

On a "normal" day this room would be filled with my 2nd period class. Today it's empty. I'm feeling very proud that my students and their families decided to protest hate and divisiveness today by participating in "Dia Sin Inmigrantes." #diasininmigrantes #daywithoutimmigrants #kippaustin

A post shared by Ben Fehlen (@benfehlen) on Feb 16, 2017 at 9:28am PST

This morning I dropped an order off to an empty print shop. #daywithoutimmigrants #daywithoutlatinos #nobannowall #madeinusa - - - #madeinlosangeles #madeincalifornia #local #small batch #slowfashion #adaywithoutimmigrants

A post shared by Lindsey Fout (@last_chance_textiles) on Feb 16, 2017 at 9:41am PST

It's a Thursday. The sun is shining. We have a ton of work to do. Not a worker in sight. Proud of these men and women for making the sacrifice and making their voices heard. #adaywithoutimmigrants #nobannowallnoraids

A post shared by AdamDell (@dellroylindo) on Feb 16, 2017 at 11:19am PST

#daywithoutimmigrants is surely sending a message across the District. No political advocacy to follow...

A post shared by We The People DC (@wethepeopledc) on Feb 16, 2017 at 8:52am PST

This is what happens when you force people to feel scared. People fight back. Today at my school, students who are immigrant or come from immigrant families have decided not to show up in order to show the rest of the US what the country is without them. Only having 3 out of 54 students, and only having an average of 10 children in each classroom are clear evidence that we are tired of oppression and being belittled. We are in this together, and we will not surrender. Today, I am the proudest I've ever been of my students. #Boycott #NorthCarolina #ImmigrantsTogether #DayWithoutImmigrants #DayWithoutAnImmigrant

A post shared by Claudio (@claudiovc1) on Feb 16, 2017 at 9:40am PST

#adaywithoutimmigrants I'm feeling your absence but I support you 👊🏽 #solidarity ... ... ... ... #immigration #love #daywithoutimmigrants

A post shared by Kayona (@kayonaebonybrown) on Feb 16, 2017 at 9:33am PST

Carl's shop @cegonyc is empty today. This is where our one-offs, samples, & pattern work is done by uniquely talented people with whom we are lucky to work. The USA is and always will be a country of immigrants. 💥🇺🇸💥#adaywithoutimmigrants #freedom

A post shared by Teddy Stratford NYC (@teddystratford) on Feb 16, 2017 at 10:54am PST

#pictureday at school conflicted with #daywithoutimmigrants I am missing my students.

A post shared by Matthew D'Camp (@madcamw5) on Feb 16, 2017 at 9:38am PST

Usually my neighborhood is busy with construction but as I take a break to peek out my window, I can't help but notice how quiet it is today. Coincidence? Hmmmm... I'm not getting all political, just a general observation. #adaywithoutimmigrants

A post shared by Misty Fraker (@mistyfraker) on Feb 16, 2017 at 11:38am PST

Landscape installation of the #ecological schoolyard moving very slow today. The Day Without Immigrants protest left us with a huge plant delivery and no one to plant. I don't need to ask if we can find Americans to do the tough work. I've been in the business for over a decade – we cannot. We rely on immigrants every day in this country, to build infrastructure and farm, and they do it with amazing efficiency and positive attitude. I wholly support our guys in not showing up today. And today, I am more grateful than ever for their incredibly hard work and incomparable skill and attitude. #weneedimmigrants #daywithoutimmigrants #nobannowall #gratitude #ecologicaldesign #sustenancedesign #landscapelover #protest #resist

A post shared by Lindsey Sita Mann (@sustenancedesign) on Feb 16, 2017 at 9:03am PST

Lunch Bunch with the 6 students that did show up today! #daywithoutimmigrants

A post shared by Stephanie Grissett (@disani1) on Feb 16, 2017 at 9:54am PST

A day without immigrants my local thrift store is cleared out its like a ghost town #ghosttown #adaywithoutimmigrants

A post shared by MELISSA (@mindbodymovement.dmv) on Feb 16, 2017 at 11:50am PST

If you don't want immigrants here, there's not going to be anyone to cook your pizza. So proud of my staff and store for taking a stand today ✌🏼️🇺🇸 #protest #cpk #takeastand #daywithoutimmigrants

A post shared by Elizabeth (@lizzafer) on Feb 16, 2017 at 9:29am PST

Very quiet on site today. Shout out to all the homies striking today and making a statement. Day in and day out your hard work goes overlooked by many. Not today! ✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼#daywithoutimmigrants

A post shared by JAKE SLABROCK (@jakexshapiro) on Feb 16, 2017 at 9:46am PST