Making their statement
Immigrant day is felt most in Latino areas
At Chelsea High School, 1 in 4 students stayed home. In Framingham, much of downtown was shuttered. In Lawrence, workers at a health center showed up in white T-shirts that read, ''We are all part of a world community." And in Lowell, immigrants went about their days as usual, working, going to school, and shopping.
Across Massachusetts yesterday, the Day Without Immigrants, a national effort that encouraged foreign-born workers to stay home from work and school, did not result in the widespread work stoppages that some organizers had hoped for. Its impact was felt most powerfully in Latino neighborhoods and among young people, with thousands of students staying away from school and marching in the streets.
The varied reactions from the state's many immigrant communities underscored the diversity of experience and values among foreigners who have settled here. The day also highlighted the vulnerability many immigrants feel, with some expressing fear that they would be fired or lose a day's pay if they did not show up.
''I have bills to pay, sweetie," said Haitian immigrant Mirlande Pierre, 28, who decided to go to her job in the cashier's booth at Cambridge Hospital yesterday, even though her employer gave her permission to take the day off.
Some school officials were surprised and disappointed by the number of absences in their districts, with 8,000 students staying away from classes in Lawrence, Lynn, Chelsea, and Framingham. Other districts, like Boston and Cambridge, saw little impact.
Thousands of workers and their supporters joined rallies and demonstrations across the state. There was a teach-in at Harvard, a prayer vigil at a Catholic church in Framingham, and rallies from Somerville to Amherst and Fitchburg.
On Boston Common, hundreds of immigrants, college students, union representatives, and activists gathered, chanting ''Si, se puede" (''Yes, it can be done" in Spanish), and ''Immigration built this nation," and carrying flags from Ecuador, Ireland, and El Salvador, along with US flags. College students wore signs that said ''I love immigrants" and cheered, as representatives from Chinese, Haitian and Latino communities addressed the audience.
A crowd of hundreds, among them many Salvadorans and Colombians, marched boisterously down Meridian Street in East Boston, past small bodegas, taco shops, and cheering children to Chelsea City Hall. People watching from their apartment stoops raced to join the crowd, swelling its size, and cars honked in support.
Many of the immigrants at the rallies said they had missed work.
''I called my manager and said I wasn't coming in today because I'm supporting the cause," said Omar Ochoa, 46, a Colombian immigrant who works as a janitor. ''I hope there aren't any consequences."
Immigrant advocates kept a close eye on workplace absences and business shutdowns, but said there was no way to say precisely how many people took part in Massachusetts. And it appeared that many of the workers who skipped work yesterday had their employers' blessing.
At Ethos, an elderly care service in Jamaica Plain, delivery drivers took the day off with permission from management, who had supplied extra frozen meals to elderly clients on Friday, accompanied by letters explaining their support of their immigrant workers.
''We have chosen to experience this day," said Margery Gann, director of care management at Ethos. ''We are proud our drivers took this action, and we are proud to be an agency that supports this action."
Caleb Page, owner of The Maids cleaning service in Jamaica Plain, moved all of yesterday's appointments to other days so his employees could take the day off without losing pay. He said his customers were happy to accommodate the immigrants. In New Bedford, some fish processing plants were deserted yesterday. Most of the 70 workers from Central America at one plant worked the weekend so they could stay at home or join rallies today.
''I've never seen the place as quiet as this on a day that's not a holiday," said Michael Barry, owner of Pier Fish in New Bedford. ''All my customers knew what was happening. [The workers] felt it was important, and they work for me and I want to keep my workers happy to a degree. What am I going to do, fire all my workers?"
Some employers appear to have had little choice but to support the action.
At Michael Bianco Inc., a New Bedford company that sews army vests and backpacks, half of the 425 workers, mostly from Central America, showed up.
The company owner was unavailable for comment, but manager Gloria Melo said workers originally were told that if they didn't show up they'd be fired.
''They asked last week about missing work today, and they were told, 'We might not have a job for you if you don't come to work,' " she said. ''They had a big meeting and called the owner, and they said they would like him to support them in this and the owner said OK. They were going to do it anyway. If it were just five people, that would be one thing. We can't fire all of them."
Nonetheless, some of the workers who worked there yesterday said they had been scared to take the day off.
The work stoppages were the most controversial component of the Day Without Immigrants initiative, with organizers urging immigrants to flex their muscles and call the public's attention to the contribution they make to the economy. Others, including Catholic leaders, cautioned immigrants against taking part, fearing firings and a backlash.
Jobs With Justice, a workers' rights coalition, set up a hotline for workers punished for staying away from their jobs. Bishop Filipe Teixeira, who ministers to Cape Verdean worshipers in Dorchester and Brockton, had been urging his parishioners to stay away from work for weeks. At a State House press conference yesterday, he urged those who face reprisals to contact him.
''Today I am here to humbly ask the employers and schools not to penalize anybody who takes the day off," he said.
Perhaps no community embraced the idea more fervently than Framingham.
Dotted with the Brazilian national colors of green and yellow, downtown Framingham was mostly closed for business yesterday. In the downtown area south of town hall, three or four of the 30 or so stores were open.
In the rest, closed signs had been placed in darkened windows. Some locals, apparently unaware of the day's happenings, squinted through windows or knocked on doors before reading the notices explaining the closures.
''We believe this is the best way to get noticed as a big part of the American society," said Delio Lopes, 35, owner of the Pao Brazil Bakery on Waverly Street, who said he emigrated from Brazil to the United States in 1989 with no possessions, and now has permanent resident status.
The day touched off plenty of discussion about the issue of immigration, a matter of continuing debate in Washington, as senators consider a measure extending paths to legalization to undocumented workers. Bob Casimiro, president of the Massachusetts Coalition for Immigration Reform, which favors stricter immigration controls, predicted the scattered absences would not change people's minds about the issue.
''The fact that people aren't showing up in these lower-skilled areas, it's not going to have much of an impact," said Casimiro, one of two counter-protesters at a rally in Boston's Post Office Square.
Shoppers uninvolved in the immigrant movement who came upon the shutdowns yesterday expressed a range of reactions.
In Jamaica Plain, Wilfredo Martinez, 37, tried to yank open the door of Freddy's Market on Centre Street. But he was not upset by the inconvenience.
''On the contrary, I feel good about this," he said in Spanish. ''We have to support our fellow immigrants. We have to support fellow Hispanics. This is going to remind people of what Hispanics do for the economy."
Others complained about the disruption. Maude Joseph, a 30-year-old Jamaica Plain housekeeper and an immigrant, walked to Hi-Lo Foods on Centre Street as she does every Monday.
Her face fell when she saw the shuttered doors and the sign outside that told residents the market would be closed for the day.
''They make it hard for people today," she said, as she walked away from the store. ''People have to buy food."
Brian Ballou, Jenna Russell, and Maria Sacchetti of the Globe staff and Globe correspondent Catherine Elton contributed to this report. Yvonne Abraham can be reached at abraham@globe.com. 