SALT LAKE CITY — Numerous Utah businesses halted operations Monday in solidarity with immigrants as President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigrants who are in the country illegally unfolds.

"With everything going on, people are kind of scared," said Jesus Ruiz, operator of Señor Pollo Mexican Grill, a chain of Mexican restaurants based in Utah. "It's just in solidarity with all the immigrants to feel the presence and help them out any way we can."

The six Señor Pollo locations in Utah closed Monday as part of the protest — promoted by immigrant advocates nationwide — as well as the nine Rancho Markets across Utah, among several other Latino-owned and operated locales. Dubbed Day Without Immigrants, or Día Sin Inmigrantes in Spanish, national organizers and promoters also called on participants to refrain from shopping on Monday and to keep their kids home from school for the day as a form of protest.

"I want to support my community," said Eli Madrigal, a Rancho Market operator who is an immigrant, originally from Mexico. Speaking with the media along with several other Latino business operators who also closed their doors Monday, she said fear is gripping the immigrant community as a whole, not just workers at her business.

"Due to the current federal political treatment of hardworking and law-abiding immigrants, who are being unfairly treated, Rancho Market is supporting this day of protest and standing in solidarity with our fellow immigrants," reads a message on the Facebook page of Rancho. "They provide essential services that make our lives easier, and we believe it's essential to show our support."

Officials from the Salt Lake, Granite and Ogden school districts reported higher-than-usual absenteeism on Monday at some schools. But officials from the districts don't know if that stemmed from the social media calls by event backers for participants to keep their kids home as part of the protesting.

"Higher absences than normal across the city," Yándary Chatwin, spokeswoman for the Salt Lake City School District, said. "No way to know for sure if it's related (to Day Without Immigrants calls)."

Word of the protest spread via social media and comes two weeks after the inauguration of Trump to his second term. Deporting immigrants in the country illegally is a priority for the president, who charges that the population is draining U.S. resources and poses a public security threat. As part of his crackdown, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and other federal law enforcement officials have stepped up efforts to track down, detain and deport immigrants here illegally in cities across the country.

But though there's little solid information coming from Utah or federal authorities about the nature of apprehension efforts in the state, many in the immigrant community are still alarmed and fearful. Madrigal made a call for broader immigration reform by federal lawmakers to address the complicated issue, also focus of a range of measures proposed by Utah lawmakers that focus on immigrants here illegally with criminal records. Others at Monday's press conference pushed back against what they see as the false notion that immigrants, as a rule, are criminals, defending them as hard workers and key elements of the U.S. economy.

"Every four years it's the same," said Fernando Cano, operator of Loco Burger, a restaurant with locations in Salt Lake City and Kearns. Latinos are persecuted "just for being Latinos."

Indeed, illegal immigration was the apparent focus of a demonstration near the Herriman municipal building on Saturday by a masked contingent of marchers wearing dark blue coats and khaki pants. Participants carried a sign reading "Deport Invaders/Keep American American" that also identified them as members of Patriot Front, which the Anti-Defamation League labels a white supremacist group.

"More than concern, it's an embarrassment for our country," Madrigal said, when asked about the Herriman demonstration.

A spokesman for Herriman said little about Saturday's event. "To our knowledge, it remained peaceful and no illegal activity occurred," he said.

Amid all the hype, uncertainty and questions, Madrigal advises the immigrant community to go about their business as normal. "Carry on your normal day-to-day life without fear. Don't be afraid. Don't let the people make you afraid. We should go out and work as we have in recent years and we should keep doing things the right way," she said.

Social media posts by other business operators that also closed Monday, meantime, offered their reasoning for participating.

A post on the Facebook page of unCafecito, a Salt Lake City cafe, noted the fear that seems to be gripping some. "As a first-generation American, it's heartbreaking to witness the fear and uncertainty our community is facing right now. At unCafecito, we stand firm in our belief that everyone deserves equality, dignity and the opportunity to thrive," it reads.

Among other Utah locations that closed their doors Monday are Victor's Tires, Catrachos Restaurant, Sinaloa Town and Don Daniels Mexican Grill and Cantina.

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"We cannot stand idle while it affects those who, with their labor and sacrifice, have built this country," reads a post on the Catrachos Facebook page. "Our voice matters and we will not be silenced! When a community unites and supports (one another), nothing stops it."

Immigrant advocates in Utah and elsewhere in the country held similar protests on Feb. 16, 2017, at the start of Trump's first term as president, also as a show of support for immigrants.

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