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Pittsburgh businesses close for nationwide Day Without Immigrants protest

Pittsburgh businesses close to protest immigration crackdown
Pittsburgh businesses close to protest immigration crackdown 02:27

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Monday night, businesses across the country, including Pittsburgh, are taking a stand, joining a nationwide effort called Day Without Immigrants.

Las Palmas in Beechview is one of the many businesses part of the nationwide protest. They say the message that they're sending is clear: that immigrants are part of the growth of Pittsburgh and many other cities across America.

The owners of Las Palmas said they were welcomed by an unwelcomed note Monday, posted on their front door. 

"Saying 'all illegal aliens please leave Beechview, we have contacted ICE, Border Patrol,'" said Missy Berumen, the wife of Las Palmas' owner. 

"Are you fearful at all when you see things like this happening?" KDKA-TV's Mamie Bah asked her. 

"Not necessarily for us, but for others in the community," she replied. 

Berumen's husband moved to the United States from Mexico 32 years ago. He's been a citizen for at least 20 years.

"Should be absolutely considered a hate crime," Berumen said, adding, "We'll definitely be pressing charges."  

On Monday, local community leaders estimated at least 60 businesses around Pittsburgh closed as part of the nationwide Day Without Immigrants protest.   

"Pittsburgh is an immigrant town," said Monica Ruiz, the executive director of Casa San Jose, an organization that helps immigrants.

Casa San Jose came together on Monday with Pittsburgh's deputy mayor and other community members to talk about the economic impact on the immigrant population.   

"When I first moved here, all these stores were boarded up, and now you've got restaurants and you've got barbershops and you've got that beautiful grocery store, and we're putting our building across this street, and you've got this building, and so this is what we want, and we need to embrace that and support it as much as we can," Ruiz said.  

Ruiz said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is visible in the Pittsburgh region right now. Casa San Jose's hotline has received numerous calls indicating there have been targeted ICE pick-ups. Even Monday, they got calls from Cranberry and Moon townships, and last week, Washington County.

Sean Logue, the former chairman of the Washington County Republican Party, says he doesn't hate immigrants, but he doesn't understand Monday's protest.

"What are we protesting? We're protesting ICE picking up dangerous criminals who are here illegally? They don't have a right to be here. If you commit a crime, you get deported, and those are the rules," Logue said.  

But business owners and community members feel it's not that simple.

"We support the immigrants that are here working hard and hopefully they can find a better way to bring people here faster," said Berumen. 

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