More than 1 million immigrants, mostly Hispanic and their supporters, skipped work today and took to the streets. In flexing their economic muscle their “nationwide boycott that succeeded in slowing or shutting many farms, factories, markets and restaurants.”

From Los Angeles to Chicago, Houston to Miami, the “Day Without Immigrants” attracted widespread participation despite divisions among activists over whether a boycott would send the right message to Washington lawmakers considering sweeping immigration reform.

“We are the backbone of what America is, legal or illegal, it doesn’t matter,” said Melanie Lugo, who with her husband and their third-grade daughter joined a rally of some 75,000 in Denver. “We butter each other’s bread. They need us as much as we need them.”

The White House reacted coolly to the protests and boycotts.

“The president is not a fan of boycotts,” said press secretary Scott McClellan. “People have the right to peacefully express their views, but the president wants to see comprehensive reform pass the Congress so that he can sign it into law.”

The L.A. Times reports, that today’s “protests shutter L.A.’s produce and garment districts.”

The normally bustling downtown Los Angeles produce and garment districts were virtually shut down today, and truck traffic at the ports was down sharply after many employees protesting the nation’s immigration policy’s did not show up for work.

The dearth of activity in the produce and garment districts, both heavily dependent on immigrant labor, was so far the most dramatic sign of the impact of today’s organized immigration protests on local commerce. Only sporadic business closures and staffing shortages reported across the remainder of Southern California.

The Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market — which provides fresh food to restaurants, grocery store chains and countless mom and pop outlets — was unusually quiet at 2:30 am when the sprawling complex is normally a din of shouting workers and rumbling trucks The nearby 7th Street Market, the region’s second-largest wholesale food market, never even bothered to open.

“This is not a normal day,” said Robert Barrios as he viewed the sedate concrete loading docks at the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market. “This time of the day, you usually have trucks pulling in, pulling out. People yelling, “Hey, let’s go! Get out of the way!”

A few hours later, visitors to the nearby downtown garment district were greeted by block after block of shuttered storefronts and garment factories. Many businesses had decided to close after workers informed them of their plans not to show up today, according to business owners.

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