Apparently, there was some kind of county-wide protest in Prince William County today against the Board Of Supervisors’ immigration policy.
I say apparently, because nobody seemed to notice.
A work boycott in Prince William County today, in protest of resolutions that crack down on illegal immigrants, left a smattering of businesses operating with smaller staffs or closing altogether.
But the impact of the one-day work stoppage organized by immigrant advocacy group Mexicans Without Borders appeared to be limited as construction sites, restaurants and retail stores hummed with business as usual.
La Azteca Latina, a small grocery in Woodbridge, closed after two hours because its owner and employees attended a rally to protest the county’s resolutions. Ten workers for a waterproofing company in Woodbridge walked off their jobs in the morning, even as their employer threatened they wouldn’t be able to work all week if they left.
Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart said the boycotts would have a minimal effect on the business economy.
“I don’t see anything different today than usual,” Stewart said. “And if someone is here illegally, they shouldn’t be working here in the first place.”
The boycott was a protest against a resolution, passed unanimously by the Board of County Supervisors in July, to deny many public services to illegal immigrants and empower police and other officials to question immigrants about their legal status and in some cases turn them over to federal immigration authorities.
At Abuelita Mexican Food Products in Manassas Park, nearly all of the tortilla chip manufacturer’s 60 employees — mostly Hispanic immigrants — came to work.
“We didn’t even know there was going to be a protest from work today,” said Eugene Suarez Jr., who helps run his family’s business with his father.
Oh well, so much for that strategy.
