Immigrants Turn on Their Own

As widely reported in the media, Thursday of this week was billed as ‘A Day Without Immigrants.' The supposed aim of this national boycott and day of protest was to demonstrate the contribution of illegal immigrants to the economy of the nation, but nowhere would the economic effects of this – and future - disruption have been felt more sharply than in the very communities that offer shelter and sanctuary to undocumented immigrants.

Immigrants, both legal and illegal – along with sympathizers – skipped work and boycotted businesses to take to the streets in organized protest of President Trump’s moves to secure America’s southern border and crack down on illegal immigration. According to a report by NPR, those taking part were “not shopping; not eating at restaurants; buying gas, ort (sic) sending their children to school.”

SFGate reported that these boycotts and marches were to take place in a number of major cities, including Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Boston, and Houston, as well as the nation’s capital. Los Angeles also saw similar protests.

What all of these cities have in common, however, is their acceptance of illegal immigrants.

So, despite the inevitable coverage in the mainstream media, most Americans have gone on with their lives, untouched and unharmed by said boycotts. Conversely – and with more than a dash of the ironic - those communities that are accepting of illegal immigrants would have borne the brunt of the economic disruption; restaurants, local retail businesses, taxis and other commercial enterprises would have lost revenue as a result. Additionally, locals who did not participate had their daily activities obstructed by marches and other public gatherings. Chicago, Philadelphia and Austin, Texas saw sizeable public protests.

In effect, the protesters were giving the middle finger to the cities that welcome and accept them.

The ‘anti-Trump’ movement has more demonstrations, strikes, and boycotts in the works. Friday saw some strikes across the country – organized by Strike4Democracy, according to a CNBC report. The entire adventure is another clear demonstration of how America’s progressive movement is veering away from both reality and wider acceptance. Leftists always protest, demonstrate and destroy within their political strongholds. The message they are sending to the rest of America is that they have no desire to engage in any form of peaceful debate or discussion with those who do not share their ideology. Perhaps even worse, they are putting on display their total disregard – if not outright disdain – for neighbors and fellow residents of their own communities.

Their strategy is simple and deeply flawed: Preach to the choir and damn everyone else. One would have thought that to grow a political movement, one would have to convince and convert those who do not see things in the same way. Contrary to this logic, however, the extreme left – which was, without a doubt, the driving force behind the “Day Without Immigrants” – marches, screams and destroys within its own echo-chamber, alienating and insulting everyone on the outside.

The message behind Thursday’s protests is that illegal immigrants demand acceptance and equal rights and will trample everyone else’s right to go about their business to achieve these things. Meanwhile, in parts of the country inhabited mostly by people who do not want illegal immigrants, life went on as usual – and not one small-business owner would have lost a single cent of revenue.

One is reminded of a famous piece of dialogue from Shakespeare’s Macbeth: “It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”