On February 3rd, 2025, many people across the United States participated in “A Day Without Immigrants.” On this day, immigrants and their supporters chose not to go to work, school, or spend money in stores. This protest was in response to the slew of executive orders that President Trump has passed, many of which have targeted the country’s large immigrant population. As a result of the day-long event, restaurants, stores, construction sites, and other facilities around the country were closed, and numerous students did not attend school. The event aimed to emphasize immigrants’ crucial contributions to the economy, their communities, and the country as a whole.

  At Curtis, 873 students were absent on that day. While some of these absences may be unrelated to the protest, the fact that such a spike in absences occurred on this particular day suggests a connection. In fact, exactly a year ago on February 3rd, 2024, only 698 were absent – that’s a difference of 25 percent. As a school with a diverse ethnic and national makeup, many of the students come from immigrant backgrounds. “This day was a day to show that immigrants aren’t just people that came into this country illegally, they make up the country. This day was a way to support them and make it known we are important,” one 16-year old Mexican student said. They were one of many standing in solidarity with immigrants across the nation.