Dallas development company ‘F80 Construction’ said more than 100 construction workers didn’t show up at a townhome construction site on Monday.
DALLAS — It was a quiet Monday afternoon in Dallas’s Oak Cliff neighborhood. One business after the next, the sight of closed doors was common.
A large group of small business owners in the predominantly Hispanic neighborhood participated in a nationwide “Day Without Immigrants.”
The movement is a response to the Trump Administration’s recent immigration policies. The immigrant community and its allies aim to highlight their contributions to the U.S. economy by showing how a day without them would be.
“We’re trying to find ways to unify,” said Cindy Pedraza, who owns CocoAndré Chocolatier with her mother in Oak Cliff.
On Monday, the shop was closed. Pedraza said she wanted to support the day by standing in solidarity with the immigrant community.
“For me, the message is that we’re united, we’re together, our money matters,” Pedraza said. “It does feel empowering. Through it all, we’re gonna keep pushing forward and keep uniting.”
The movement encouraged people to stay home, close their small businesses and have a no-spend day on Monday.
A townhome construction site along Lovedale Avenue in Dallas sat largely empty on Monday afternoon. Typically, it’s bustling with construction crews working to build 18 homes.
Monday was different.
Danny Le, a developer with F80 Construction said he woke up to hundreds of texts from his crews.
“Nobody showed up this morning,” Le said.
More than 100 construction workers didn’t show up to the site, a move they told him was in support of a “Day Without Immigrants.”
Le said crews have been absent over the last two weeks and have expressed fear of encountering Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and being deported.
“They’re not showing up to work, they’re afraid to leave the house… it slows down the project a lot,” Le said. “Their work is essential to our community and to our economy.”
Le said he pays around $5,000 per day in interest as homes are being built. If progress on construction isn’t moving along, he loses thousands by day. His townhome project is three weeks behind schedule, and he’s asking friends and family to help him move materials around the site.
“I fully support what they’re trying to stand up for,” Le said. “They’re trying to stand up for themselves, the community, and everybody affected by this whole thing. I do want the American people to notice and appreciate the Hispanic community and how much they bring to housing, the economy, restaurants and everything involved in our day-to-day.”
Le said a majority of his workforce has organized to remain absent for the rest of the week.
