Though hundreds of thousands of immigrants and their supporters nationwide skipped school and work Monday to show their economic power, most Utah County businesses were open and only a handful of people hit local sidewalks to show their support.

The popular Café Rio restaurants in Provo and American Fork closed Monday because of the boycott, though five of its restaurants around the state were open, including the one in Layton.

Some employees of the subcontractor tearing down the Geneva Steel Plant didn't show up for work Monday, and the ones who did stood by the fence, refusing to work, said Lindsey Romankiw, who works for the contractor on the project.

But most Utah County residents stayed in school and went to work, including the owners of Maranatha Mexican Grill in Eagle Mountain.

But that doesn't mean Maranatha's owners didn't support the boycott.

"Because we're just starting, we're not making millions," restaurant owner Dilciana Rojas said. "We can't afford to be closed." If they could, they would have let the closed sign hang, she said. Instead, it was chips and salsa as usual.

Around the country, boycott supporters were out all day, but in Utah, some events were scheduled in the evening -- after work. There was an evening rally at Liberty Park and a candlelight vigil at the state Capitol.

"I think the whole world was made for the human beings to live on it," Rojas said. "I think when God created the whole world he created it for everybody, but I don't think he created borders."

Rojas talked about the boycott with customers Monday, and she said that they seemed to agree.

"We are all human. Before you are immigrant, black, Asian, illegal, whatever they want to call us, we are all human," she said.

The Rojas family are proud of their American and Hispanic heritage. After all, she says, no one is really from here.

"I think they kind of punish the immigrants too much," Rojas said.

"The only decision that we made was to come to this country. We're not stealing money, we're doing our best here. We're working hard. Even the white people that live here came from somewhere else," Rojas said.

In Utah County schools, most Hispanic students, teachers and school employees chose school and work.

In the Alpine School District, where 2004-2005 numbers showed about 6.7 percent of the student population was Hispanic, some students took the day off but there were no more teacher absences than normal, said spokeswoman Jerrilyn Mortensen.

She said she did a quick survey of five schools with higher Hispanic populations than the rest of the district. Thirteen of 141 Hispanic students at Cherry Hill Elementary in Orem were absent.

At Sharon Elementary in Orem, more than half of the school's 235 Hispanic students didn't show up. At Suncrest Elementary in Orem, the school's normal absentee rate of about 60 was nearly doubled, and Mountain View High School in Orem also doubled its average number of 35-40 absent Hispanic students.

Orem Junior High reported some absences, but not as many as during immigration protests earlier in the year.

Most Provo students were in their seats on Monday, said superintendent Randy Merrill, and a report early in the day showed that no more employees than usual had taken the day off. About 20 percent of the district's students are Hispanic.

Merrill said he talked with principals to determine if a large number of substitute teachers would be required, "but we haven't anticipated a big hit in employees. We've had some conversations just so we're ready. We think we had a pretty good handle on it. It hasn't been a real negative force today."

In the Nebo School District, where about 6 percent of students are Hispanic, spokeswoman Lana Hiskey said the effects were minimal.

"The district has been communicating through the principals down to the students that we want them in school," Hiskey said. "We're carrying on as normal."