Amparo Franco gets a few American flags from a truck as she and her family leave a rally on Dale Mabry. Jay Nolan/Tribune

SEBRING - Several orange groves were missing workers and a couple of local restaurants were closed Monday in observance of “Day Without An Immigrant,” a national one-day protest by immigrants against crackdowns on undocumented residents.

While there were no protests in Highlands and Hardee County, many immigrants did observe the boycott.

According to Ray Royce, executive director of the Highlands County Citrus Growers Association, most immigrant workers in local citrus businesses did not show up for work.

Taqueria Merlo and Tacoos Taqueria and Tortilleria, eateries in Avon Park, were closed. Both businesses displayed signs that said they would not be open on Monday.

Some of the employees at Redlands Christian Migrant Association had permission to take the day off, according to Hilaria Cuevas, area coordinator for the association in Hardee County and Lake Placid. The association allowed employees to skip work if there were enough staffers available to keep operations running.

—Sally Villarreal

- Undocumented immigrants frequently use false Social Security numbers to obtain jobs. Social Security taxes are deducted from their pay but not credited to them because they aren’t listed in the system. In 2003, the most recent year available, these deductions amounted to $7.3 billion. (Source: The Social Security Administration)

- Between 55% and 65% of illegal migrants have income and Social Security taxes withheld from their pay. Many who don’t want to use false Social Security numbers, use Individual Tax Identification Tax Numbers, legal numbers issued by the government to people without Social Security numbers. (Source: Pew Hispanic Center)

- The U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement agency brought just three actions against companies for employing undocumented immigrants in 2004, down from 417 in 1999. (Source: General Accounting Office)

- About 75% of today’s immigrants are legal permanent residents. Of the 25 percent that are undocumented, 40% overstayed temporary visas. (Source: Department of Homeland Security)

- By increasing the labor supply between 1980 and 2000, both legal and illegal immigration reduced average earnings of U.S.-born men by about $30 per week. 

(Source: Jorge Borgas, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard)

Gregoria Caramaya, 29, cleans rooms at the Red Roof Inn in Clearwater Beach. She plans to take part in the immigration protest in Tampa after she finishes her work for the day. KATHY MOORE/Tribune

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