A co-owner of Arnaldo Richards’s Picos Restaurant told CNN that while the majority of customers were supportive, a few social media posts were “hurtful” to him and his family.
One of the social media posts, which was provided to CNN and has since been deleted, featured a person threatening to call immigration to check restaurant staff’s green cards. Another post simply said, “You deserve ICE,” referring to US immigration and customs enforcement.
“This gentleman just said that I should not go against the Texas governor and that we must respect his mandate to lift the ban. If not, he could send immigration to come and check our green cards,” Arnaldo said. Richards Monday. ‘And I thought that was very racist. I thought it was inappropriate. And if it hadn’t been a Mexican restaurant, he might not have said or referred to checking our green cards. ”
A green card is a type of visa that indicates that someone is a legal permanent resident of the US. Richards immigrated to the United States from Mexico and became a naturalized citizen in the 1980s – all of his children were born in the US, he said.
His restaurant celebrated its 37th anniversary on Monday, and he said he is only trying to protect his family, employees and all customers who come to the restaurant.
“As a company, we have a 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 to 25 seconds to walk from the door to a table wearing a mask before removing it from your table. He said the majority of his customers wear a mask, with no questions asked.
“People can be courteous to other people and just wear it because some people are very adamant,” he said. “I would say 99% of my clients are adamant about using the mask.”
Regarding the threats to call them, US immigration and customs enforcement did not comment on whether it received reports about the restaurant.
“Any attempt to abuse federal law enforcement to attack an individual or company in retaliation for their COVID-19 security protocols is not only irresponsible but a gross misuse of taxpayer funding,” said ICE officials. in a statement to CNN.
“Now when you go into that restaurant, especially for these employees, you have to follow the guidelines they have published. That’s exactly what you have to do,” she said.
When asked about the Picos incident in Houston, Knight said the incident was “extremely unfortunate.” She praised customers on social media for their support of the restaurant and its decision.
“It’s just inconceivable that you would approach a restaurant to try and protect their employees,” Knight said. “It’s just the day we live in, right? This mask debate has become very political and that’s why we really urge restaurants to get these guidelines out so that at least guests know where you stand.”
The association surveyed its members, and 700 restaurants replied that they wanted to keep workers in masks, especially until they are vaccinated, Knight said.
The Houston companies that require customers to keep wearing masks have received support from Police Chief Art Acevedo.
On Wednesday, Richards said he is going to put a chair in front of his restaurant to prevent someone who is not wearing a mask from entering. He said he is also concerned about people trying to scold his staff for the mask policy.
“It’s very simple,” said Richards. ‘You can go anywhere you want. If you find a restaurant that accepts you without a mask, I’d like to know. ‘