Tulsa Businesses Closed Thursday In Support Of 'A Day Without Immigrants'

More than 60 Tulsa businesses closed Thursday to make a point. All across the country, "A Day Without Immigrants" was meant to show what happens when immigrants are missing from the workforce. 

Some Tulsa business owners decided to close their doors Thursday as part of the movement. 

They said the peaceful protest was about the Tulsa community realizing the impact immigrants have on the community. 

Nicole Squirrel went to Super Mercados Morelos for groceries Thursday morning. 

"I like coming here because the meat is fresh and I like the atmosphere. Everybody here is really friendly and you just don't get that at other grocery stores," she said. 

But the supermarket was closed and they weren't the only ones.

Squirrel said she supports the businesses. 

"I am happy that they are standing their ground, letting them know that this is not okay," Squirrel said. "They are being treated differently and we need equality and we don't do it." 

Isabel Blanco owns a shop in Plaza Santa Cecilia, and of the 33 businesses inside, 32 closed Thursday, including hers. 

But she said it wasn't an easy choice. 

"We were a little stuck in the conflict of what would be the impact? Would we really be able to make an impact on the community by shutting down our services for today?" Blanco said. 

But she said the thought of every immigrant-owned business closing for the day helped her make her decision

"As a Hispanic community, we are very united and we can make a difference, not just in our community of Tulsa but in the nation," she said. 

The difference she hopes protests make today? Immigration reform.

"A lot of us came here to work. That is really why we leave our countries because we want to come and we want to work. We want to give our families a better future. Without us, I don't know how the country would really work," she said. 

Blanco said she knows the path to immigration reform will be a long one, but she believes her protest Thursday made a small difference in helping it along.