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'A Day Without Immigrants'

NEW YORK — Illegal immigrants and their allies took to streets across America Monday to take part in "Un Dia Sin Inmigrantes" — "A Day Without Immigrants" — in an effort to show their economic importance to the country.

Many are protesting proposed moves by the federal government to further criminalize being in the United States illegally and to restrict the number of undocumented aliens in the country. There are an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants currently living in the United States.

An estimated 300,000 people gathered by early afternoon in Chicago, and hundreds of thousands more were expected later at rallies in New York and Los Angeles. Rallies were also held in cities like Dallas, Denver and Houston. Smaller events were planned in more than 50 other cities across the nation, even in places as Connecticut and South Dakota.

Protesters boycotted work, school and shopping; some worked Monday but bought nothing. Some attended protests during lunch breaks or after work. Church services, candlelight vigils, picnics and human chains also were planned.

Industries that rely on immigrant workers were clearly affected, though the impact was not uniform. The construction and nursery industries were among the hardest hit by the work stoppage in Florida.

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Thanks to murphyslawve from Cillian Murphy Online.net for the hot tip!