Washington Sees Scattered Participation in Boycott

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National Boycotts for Immigrants
Immigrants and their supporters took to the streets on Monday, advocating for immigrant rights and opposing legislation that would stiffen penalties for those arriving illegally.

Some major national firms that rely heavily on immigrant labor planned to close for the day.

Perdue Farms said about half of its chicken processing plants would close, and Tyson Foods Inc., the world's largest meat producer, said nine of its 15 beef and pork plants will not operate.

Gallo Wines, of Sonoma, Calif., gave its 150 employees the day off, and McDonald's Corp. said some of its restaurants may close early or offer only drive-thru service, the Associated Press reported.

Goya Foods, the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States, suspended all deliveries today in support of the boycott, according to CNN .

In the Washington area, some business owners said they would close, and several construction firms said they would allow their employees to take the day off. Jim Davis of Davis Construction said he shut down some construction sites in the Washington area today. But at one site, he said, laborers worked on Saturday and Sunday to make up for the lost day.

Only one of the 47 organizations that sponsored Washington's first big immigration rally last month -- Mexicans Without Borders -- has publicly endorsed today's boycott.

But Ricardo Juarez, coordinator of Mexicans Without Borders in Northern Virginia, predicted today's boycott would produce a "real economic impact" in the Washington region.

Staff writers Krissah Williams, Karin Brulliard, Steven Ginsberg, Bill Turque, Theresa Vargas, Debbi Wilgoren, Yolanda Woodlee, Ian Shapira, Maria Glod , Nancy Trejos , Theola Labbe and Lori Aratani contributed to this report.