‘A Day Without Immigrants’ Rallies Across The US

Many Indians participated in ‘A Day Without Immigrants’ rallies in several cities across the US. Several others shared with the reputed media channel that they are already out of work due to delays in their work permit authorization. The initiative aptly describes the situation they are facing.

Dr. Raj Karnatak wanted to join the rally but could not be made due to his duty.

“Although, I wanted to be part of ‘A Day Without Immigrants,’ but working in ICU all day, I can’t abandon my patients,” he says, “As a doctor, I understand the difference between humane behavior versus inhumane green card backlog.”

Karnatak is among hundreds of thousands of Indians currently stuck in a green card backlog in the US, which many experts believe is a result of an archaic immigration system in America.

The campaign kickstarted by famous Tik Tok user Carlos Eduardo Espina who has 2.5 million followers, aimed to pressure President Biden to prioritize protecting immigrants.

The immigrant community in the US chose to mark the day by choosing not to show up at school, business or work and not to spend any money on Valentines’ Day, one America’s biggest commercial holidays.

So, while many immigrants participated in rallies and protests across the country, #ADayWithoutImmigrants continued to trend through the day on social media.

Many of whom wore red to mark the day; the protestors were calling upon the Biden govt to offer fair pathways to citizenship.

Many Indians who have been bearing the brunt of the broken immigration system and are awaiting PR found resonance with the idea and joined the rallies.