07:03 AM CDT on Monday, May 1, 2006

By Karla Barguiarena / 11 News

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Undocumented immigrants have gotten the nation’s attention, and Monday they hope to show what life would be like without their contributions.

May 1 has been set aside for an all-out boycott: no work, no school, no shopping.

KHOU-TV

Workers at one Mexican bakery cut down production because they won't sell leftovers Monday.

Some of those who plan on participating said they have no fears of a backlash.

Thirty lemons for a small family may seem like a lot, but they said there’s a reason why they’re stocking up on their groceries.

A woman named Elizabeth said she isn’t planning on leaving her house Monday - not to buy and not even to work.

She’s doing it to be part of a nationwide immigration protest dubbed The Great American Boycott.

“There’s allot of jobs that a lot of white people or Americans don’t want to do that us Mexicans are willing to do it,” Maribel Lara said.

Lara did her weekly grocery shopping a day earlier than usual.

“We want to prove to the government that this place is nothing without Mexicans,” she said.

She too will skip work and stay away from stores, some of which, like those at the Heights area farmers market are closing anyway.

Some business owners said they had no choice but to close. They said their clients told them they weren’t going to shop.

“No tenia otra opcion no va a ver gente en las calles,” Jorge Abundis said. Abundis said there was no point in opening the Mexican bakery since no one would be out shopping.

In fact, on one of his busiest days, he cut back on production to avoid any leftover food that he usually sells the next business day.

Elizabeth said they are doing this because they want a solution to the immigration problem.

After all, she is one of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants believed to be living in this country and feels it’s about time she gets noticed.

Many people said instead of working, they will spend Monday at one of the many rallies planned in the area. One of those includes a demonstration at Memorial Park that begins at 11 a.m.