By PAUL BEDARD • 1/6/17 11:10 AM

In a timely expansion of the so-called "sanctuary city" movement, restaurant owners are starting their own effort to protect illegal immigrants and others they fear are targets of "white supremacy," and potential policies under the incoming Trump administration.

The new "Sanctuary Restaurants" bid is a partnership between the worker backed Restaurant Opportunities Centers United and Presente.org which promotes a "Latinx" agenda. Both groups have been critical of President-elect Trump.



Similar to the sanctuary city movement, which harbors illegals from federal immigration authorities, the new sanctuary restaurant movement is both an open door policy seeking support from patrons and a promise to protect illegals, gays and others who fear persecution from whites.

"The stakes have never been higher and wherever others normalize white supremacy and hate, we will organize and resist," said Matt Nelson, executive director of Presente.org. "The Sanctuary Restaurant Movement will provide protections for targeted workers and elevate and celebrate restaurants that commit to resist the draconian, anti-immigration efforts of the incoming administration," he said in a statement.

The threat the groups see to restaurant workers, even illegals, is unclear. Trump has indicated so far that he is considering for deportation illegals who have committed crimes.

Trump's properties host many restaurants and controversy has recently followed. In Washington, for example, one chef pulled out of Trump's new hotel project because he didn't like what the new president said about illegals.

The two groups have written an open letter to Trump expressing their fears. In it, they wrote, "Tensions are very high in the restaurant industry now. Many have unwarranted but real fear for their safety, their families, and their place in this country. In the service industry, we cannot do our job to serve America when many among us are shaken and targeted."

The appear to have the support of TV chef Anthony Bourdain, who tweeted this week, "I am not 'boycotting' anything. I choose to not patronize chefs who tacitly support deporting half the people they've ever worked with."

The group Twitter account, @table4everyone, retweeted Bourdain.

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