Chef José Andrés announced on Twitter that he will close all of his Washington, D.C.-area restaurants Thursday in support of the “A Day Without Immigrants” strike.
“In support of our people & #ADayWithoutImmigrants Thurs 2/16 we will not open @jaleo DC CC MD, @zaytinya or @oyameldc #ImmigrantsFeedAmerica,” he wrote.
Chef Andrés was referring to Zaytinya, Oyamel, and his three Jaleo restaurants located in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia. The chef, who emigrated from Spain in 1991 and became a U.S. citizen in 2013, has clashed with President Donald Trump before.
Two years ago, he was set to open a restaurant at Trump’s new D.C. hotel. He reconsidered after Trump’s controversial comments about Mexican immigrants.
Andrés appeared on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 Tuesday to address his contentious relationship with the president. Trump brought a $10 million lawsuit against the chef after he backed out, which resulted with an $8 million lawsuit in return.
The case is ongoing despite Chef Andrés’ offer to drop the suits and donate the money to a veteran’s charity. Chef Andrés, who campaigned for Hillary Clinton, was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama.
Andrés is one of a plethora of restaurant operators who have already come forward and said they plan to close for the event, which is aimed at protesting Donald Trump‘s immigration policies.
