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Immigration boycott

Immigrants make local presence felt

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Thousands of Beaufort County immigrants didn't go to work, shop at local businesses or show up at school Monday as part of the national "Day Without Immigrants" protest.

Local Latino community representatives estimated that 80 percent to 90 percent of Latinos did not report to work.

Landscaping businesses, hotels and retail stores throughout the area were left shorthanded, and some restaurants were closed due to a lack of workers.

The impact of the protest, designed to highlight the economic contributions of immigrants, was felt across the country Monday as more than 1 million participated in walkouts, boycotts and rallies.

In the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton area, at least three gated communities in greater Bluffton reported that many of their landscaping and maintenance crews were short-staffed by the boycott.

A Bluffton landscaping company had only four of its 45 employees show up for work.

And at least two restaurants, including La Hacienda in Bluffton, were shut down due to Latinos missing work to observe the walkout.

Jose Chavira, a server at the restaurant, joined hundreds of other Latino workers in the area to take the day off.

"It's probably one of the only opportunities we have to show people we're important to this country," said Chavira, who is an American citizen and was born in California. "I'm just trying to help the cause of all the people who come here and work hard to get a better life for their families."

Invigorated by large protests last month in Chicago and Los Angeles, immigrants and their backers committed to stay away from work and school and not spend any money Monday.

"This is about being Latino and trying to show the good impact we have on this country," Chavira said.

The impact and scope of the boycott in southern Beaufort County is unclear. While many employers acknowledged being short of workers due to the walkout, others, including some of the major hotels, said business mostly was unaffected.

Jim Paleo, general manager of the Hilton Oceanfront resort, said about 40 percent of his staff is Hispanic.

"We've had no issues today whatsoever," Paleo said. "If a member of the team wanted to take the day off, they were given that opportunity. But, to be honest, not a lot of people asked for the day off, and most everyone who said they'd show up has."

The Wal-Mart near the Jasper-Beaufort county border reported that its shopping crowd in the afternoon was lower than usual, but it had not seen an unusual drop in the number of its employees who showed for work.

A manager at the Wal-Mart on Hilton Head Island said he had not noticed any effect on the store from the boycott. Many businesses that employ a significant number of Latinos planned in advance for the demonstration, scheduling fewer Latino workers for the day and voluntarily giving others the day off.

Juan Benitez, an assistant manager at Advance Auto Parts in Bluffton, requested the day off to take part in the demonstration. His manager did not ask him why he wanted the day off.

Benitez spent much of his day at Radio Sol, 1430-AM, discussing the demonstration with the station's employees and on the air.

The Spanish-language radio station, usually reserved primarily for Latino music, was abuzz with callers and visitors Monday. The station held interviews with others attending protests in New York, Phoenix and Miami.

"What I'm doing is to support my community and my people," said Benitez, who also held his two children out of Bluffton schools Monday. "This is definitely important, and it's having an impact across the country. We want to let people know that we're here and we're going to be here, making this country better."

The parking lot at Paloma's Restaurant and La Tienda supermarket in Bluffton -- usually a hub for a bustling Latino population during the day -- sat mostly empty Monday, neither open for business.

It's unclear whether the businesses were closed due to the demonstrations or because May 1 coincides with the Mexican national holiday, Primero de Mayo -- the equivalent to the U.S. Labor Day.

The Latin American Council of South Carolina's office on Hilton Head Island was open, but with less temporary workers than usual searching for work, said Luis Bell, the office's executive director.

He said most of the workers he talked to made arrangements with their employers to take the day off.

Eric Esquivel, publisher and president of the local Spanish monthly magazine, La Isla, said he hopes the protests give perspective to how much the immigrant population contributes to the country.

"Throughout this whole debate, all you hear are negative things about Latinos," Esquivel said. "You hardly ever hear about the positive impact they have on the economy, the workforce, on diversity, family values -- these things far outweigh the negatives that people are prone to point out."

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