Two Jamesburg businesses stay closed on Monday
By: Leon Tovey
JAMESBURG There were no protests or rallies in the borough, but Monday’s national Day Without Immigrants boycott still hit home for some Jamesburg residents.
Two of the town’s three Hispanic-owned businesses were closed as part of the boycott, which was organized by immigrant activists angered by federal legislation that would criminalize illegal immigrants and fortify the U.S-Mexico border. Its goal was to raise awareness about immigrants’ economic power.
Maria Colon, co-owner of Milindo Atlixco Laundromat on Buckelew Avenue, closed up shop on Monday so that she and her family could take part in a rally in New York City protesting the immigration bill passed by the House of Representatives in December.
According to U.S. Census figures, 10 .1 percent of the borough’s population was Hispanic in 2000. Borough officials have estimated that with the influx of Hispanics into the area over the last few years, that number is probably closer to 25 percent now.
Ms. Colon, who moved to the United States from Mexico 17 years ago and has lived in Jamesburg for the past seven years, said Wednesday that joining the boycott was something she and her sister, Eustolia Torres, (who co-owns the Laundromat) felt very strongly about.
She said she and many other Hispanic people she knows would like to see some kind of path to legal status established for those who are here illegally but are working hard and contributing to society. But the current mood surrounding the immigration debate has many Hispanic residents worried, she said.
"Everybody scared," she said. "Lot of kids in the schools, they scared because they have papers, but maybe one of they parents have no papers."
And in the current climate with vigilante groups like the Minutemen organizing in the Southwest and many politicians calling for clamping down on illegal immigration, particularly from Mexico and South America Ms. Colon said even legal immigrants are concerned about run-ins with "la migra" (the Hispanic moniker for the enforcement wing of Citizenship and Immigration Services).
That concern was echoed by Horacio Pantoja, owner of Video Disco on West Railroad Avenue. Mr. Pantoja said Tuesday that the decision to close up on Monday wasn’t an easy one for him. Mondays are typically very busy at the store, which sells Spanish-language CDs, DVDs and video cassettes, because many area restaurants which is where many of his Hispanic customers work, he said are closed following the weekend.
But he said a lot of Hispanics he knew had planned to take the day off from their jobs at area warehouses and construction sites and he felt he had to support them.
"I don’t care if I lose a lot of money or not," Mr. Pantoja said. "People, they are scared of la migra.
"We want to make people aware of what’s going on," he added.
Luis Batista, owner of Fantino’s Supermarket on Willow Street, which did not close Monday, said he has heard similar concerns among his customers, both Hispanic and non-Hispanic.
"They are talking about this," Mr. Batista said Monday. "Some people are a little scared to go to their jobs in the big factories around here."
Mr. Batista said he believes something needs to be done to help those who are not in the country legally but who are working hard. But he said he did not join the boycott because he felt he had a responsibility to the community as the owner of the borough’s lone grocery store.
When he arrived at the store Monday morning, planning to catch up on some Western Union paperwork and close shop early, people were waiting to get in, he said. And the customers didn’t stop coming all day, so he just stayed open.
"People, they need the milk, they need the bread, they need the Pampers," Mr. Batista said. "If the community is asking you to stay open, you have no choice."

