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A co-owner of the Picos restaurant by Arnaldo Richards told CNN that while the majority of customers have been supportive, a few social media posts have been “hurtful” to him and his family.
One of the social media posts, which was provided to CNN and has since been deleted, had a person threatening to call immigration to verify restaurant employees’ green cards. Another article simply said, “You all deserve the ICE,” referring to US immigration and customs.
“This gentleman just said that I shouldn’t go against the governor of Texas and that we should respect his mandate to lift the ban. Otherwise, he could send immigration to come and check our green cards,” Arnaldo Richards said. Monday. “And I thought it was very racist. I thought it was inappropriate. And if it hadn’t been for a Mexican restaurant, he might not have said anything or referred to the check. of our green cards. “
A green card is a type of visa that signifies that a person is a lawful permanent resident of the United States. Richards immigrated to the United States from Mexico and became a naturalized citizen in the 1980s – all of his children were born in the United States, he said.
His restaurant celebrated its 37th birthday on Monday and he said all he was trying to do was protect his family, his employees and all the customers who came to the restaurant.
“As a company, we have the choice to enforce the use of the mask,” said Richards. “So my choice for my restaurant and for my staff, and personally for me and my family, is to wear the mask.”
Richards pointed out that it only takes 20-25 seconds to get from the door to a table with a mask on before removing it to your table. He said the majority of his customers wore a mask, without asking questions.
“People can be courteous to others and just wear it because some people are very adamant,” he said. “I would say 99% of my clientele is adamant about using the mask.”
Regarding threats to call them, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has not commented on whether it has received any reports about the restaurant.
“Any attempt to abuse federal law enforcement to target an individual or business in retaliation for their COVID-19 security protocols is not only irresponsible, but a blatant abuse of taxpayer funding,” officials said of the ICE in a statement to CNN.
“When you walk into this restaurant right now, especially for these employees, you have to follow the guidelines they posted. It’s just the right thing to do, ”she says.
When asked about the Picos incident in Houston, Knight said the incident was “extraordinarily unfortunate.” She praised customers on social media for supporting the restaurant and its decision.
“It’s just unimaginable that you would target a restaurant to try to protect its employees,” Knight said. “Is this just the day we live in? This mask debate has become highly political and that is why we are really pushing restaurants to post these guidelines outside so that at least customers know where you stand. . “
The association has polled its members and 700 restaurants have responded that they want to keep employees in masks, especially until they are vaccinated, Knight said.
Houston businesses that will ask customers to continue wearing masks have gained support from Police Chief Art Acevedo.
Richards announced on Wednesday that he would set up a chair outside his restaurant to prevent anyone not wearing a mask from entering. He said he was also worried about people trying to reprimand his staff over the mask policy.
“It’s very simple,” Richards said. “You can go anywhere you want. If you find a restaurant that will accept you without a mask, I’d like to know.”
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