The “day without immigrants” protest saw lackluster participation in Colorado, but it still served to shine a light on heart-wrenching stories as the Trump administration continues its crackdown.

The act of banding together to strike on Thursday was a sign of solidarity. The immigrant community has come under attack as the Trump administration seeks to limit travel to the United States and deport undocumented immigrants.

The story of Jeanette Vizguerra has aided in thrusting the issue into the spotlight. The Denver woman from Mexico learned this week that she would be deported following years of attempts to secure legal residency. An immigrant rights activist, Vizguerra is taking sanctuary in a Denver church.

She is an “enforcement priority” for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which marks a shift from the residency extensions she was given under the Obama administration. Vizguerra could be separated from her children.

Through Facebook and text messaging, immigrants learned of the national day of protest, which offered a chance for workers – many in the hospitality industry – to show the Trump administration just what America would look like without immigrants like Vizguerra, who has worked numerous jobs in her nearly 20 years in Denver.

“It shows the power of the diversity that we have as immigrants and how much we contribute to the economy,” said Oscar Juarez-Luna, spokesman for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition. “It’s just a really strong message that came not from an initiative of an organization, but more from the community itself.”

The movement does not appear to have been coordinated by any organization, but instead grew out of a grassroots effort.

On the national level, the impact was noticeable. Federal agencies reported food concessions shutting down at government buildings; some construction work came to a halt in New York City; and along streets in immigrant-heavy cities, rows of stores were shut down.

But in Colorado, only a handful of restaurants closed on Thursday, according to the Colorado Restaurant Association. Eater Denver, a food website, reported that several restaurants in Breckenridge closed in solidarity.

At least one restaurant, Pica’s – which has locations in Boulder and Louisville – decided to donate a portion of sales to advocacy groups who support immigrants.

Some restaurant owners chose not to participate in the event, but still expressed support.

“Our country was founded to celebrate the diversity of people who come from different corners of the world, and our country’s success, innovation and spirit is in no small part because of this founding principle,” Pete Turner of Illegal Pete’s told Eater Denver.

“We celebrate each individual at Illegal Pete’s, and our own business is better because of the work and patronage of immigrants. We don’t have any special plans for the day, but we support it wholeheartedly. We have expressed to our employees that if they feel compelled to strike, to just let us know so we can make sure the business continues to run smoothly.”

The Colorado Restaurant Association said other states experienced a more prolific effort.

“We’ve slowly been hearing of restaurants closing or adjusting their schedules in the mountain communities (primarily Breckenridge) and in the metro Denver area. Some in solidarity and some because they didn’t have enough folks to open,” said Carolyn Livingston, spokeswoman for the Colorado Restaurant Association.

The association on Tuesday night informed members that there could be protests, pointing out that owners are not obligated to pay most employees who are not working.

“We don’t advise that you discipline employees on top of that. You don’t want to do or say anything that could be interpreted as a threat,” the association told members.

The Colorado Restaurant Association has been an advocate for immigration reform, highlighting that foreign-born workers are critical to the industry.

There are an estimated 50,000 immigrant workers at restaurants in Colorado, according to the association, which relied on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nationally, restaurants employ nearly 2.3 million foreign-born workers. A whopping 45 percent of restaurant chefs are foreign-born, as are 24 percent of restaurant managers, according to the National Restaurant Association.

The University of Colorado Boulder said about 20 employees took the day off as part of the protest, though it can’t say with certainty how many other employees may have participated in the strike. There are more than 8,000 employees.

“We play a dual role as both a university and an employer, and understand that immigration is an issue of increasing importance to students, faculty and staff on many levels,” said Deborah Méndez Wilson, a spokeswoman for the university. “So far, we have not seen an impact on campus operations, and we continue to provide all of the basic services we provide to our faculty, staff and students every day.”