DC restaurants to close in show of solidarity

Some of the US capital's finest restaurants are putting their money where their mouths are: shutting down for a day to protest President Donald Trump's anti-immigrant policies.

A number of dining establishments are closing up shop Thursday as a boycott is calling for immigrants not to go to work for "A Day without Immigrants" -- in a country that until now has had a long history of welcoming newcomers.

"For one single day on a weekday, we must come together and unite in absolute resistance in order to reject the system dictating the launch from dehumanization and blatant oppression of those that are not straight, white, natural-born citizens," reads the social media call to action.

The shutdown aims to show the world "how crucial we are to the basic fundamentals of the United States' economy," the Facebook post said.

Eateries in New York and Philadelphia have also said they will participate in the one-day protests.

The call to boycott comes after last week's series of immigration raids that rounded up some 680 people -- three-quarters of them with a criminal record -- for expulsion.