Immigrants flex economic muscles with protest

ILLEGAL immigrants and their allies gathered across America yesterday for marches, prayers and demonstrations on a national day of economic protest, boycotting work, school and shopping to show their importance to the country.

Thanks to the success of previous rallies and media attention, planning for the events, collectively called Un Dia Sin Inmigrantes — A Day Without Immigrants — is widespread, though fragmented.

Although thousands of Irish illegals will be affected by any change to the law, the main focus of yesterday’s actions was the Hispanic community, the group with most to lose from tougher immigration laws.