Chef Rick Bayless Closes 4 Chicago Restaurants As Part Of 'Day Without Immigrants' Protest

CHICAGO, IL — Showing support for the national "Day Without Immigrants" protest, chef and restaurateur Rick Bayless will close four of his Chicago eateries Thursday.

The culinary celebrity made his announcement Wednesday over Twitter, explaining the decision came after a staff vote to support the movement. The four Bayless restaurants that will shut its doors Thursday, Feb. 16, are Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, Xoco and Fonda Frontera.

Orgnaizers for the Day Without Immigrants protest are urging immigrants to the United States to skip class, call off work and not shop or spend money Thursday as a protest against President Donald Trump's immigration policies. Since taking office, Trump has signed executive orders establishing the creation of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and cutting off federal grant money to "sanctuary cities," jurisdictions such as Chicago with policies that don't require local agencies to go after residents simply based on their status as U.S. citizens.

Bayless' restaurants won't be the only ones closed Thursday as part of the Day Without Immigrants protest. Establishments in Minneapolis, Austin, Texas, and Washington, D.C., also will be taking part.

Rick Bayless (photo via Joshua M. Thompson | Wikimedia Commons)

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