Co-owner of Picos de Arnaldo Richards restaurant told CNN that while most customers supported him, some social media posts were “painful” for him and his family.
One of the messages on social media, provided to CNN and since then deleted, featured a person who threatened to call immigration to check the restaurant employees’ green cards. Another post said simply, “You deserve ICE”, referring to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“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 check our green cards,” said Arnaldo Richards on Monday. “And I found it highly racist. I thought it was inappropriate. And if it weren’t for a Mexican restaurant, he might not have said anything or referred to checking our green cards.”
A green card is a type of visa that means someone is a legal permanent resident of the United States. Richards immigrated from Mexico to the United States and became naturalized 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 that all he is trying to do is protect his family, workers and any customers who come to the restaurant.
“As a company, we have the option to impose the use of the mask,” said Richards. “So my choice for my restaurant and my people, and personally for me and my family, is to wear the mask.”
Richards stressed that it only takes 20 to 25 seconds to walk from the door to a table with a mask on before removing it from the table. He said most of his customers wear a mask, without asking questions.
“People can be courteous to other people and just use it because some people are very adamant,” he said. “I would say that 99% of my clientele is adamant about wearing the mask.”
Regarding threats to call them, the US Department of Immigration and Customs did not comment on whether it had received complaints about the restaurant.
“Any attempt to misuse federal law enforcement to target an individual or company in retaliation for their COVID-19 security protocols is not only irresponsible, but a gross abuse of taxpayer funding,” ICE officials said in a statement to the CNN.
“When you enter that restaurant now, especially for these employees, you need to follow the guidelines that they published. It is the right thing to do, ”she said.
When asked about the Houston Picos incident, Knight said the incident was “extraordinarily unhappy”. She praised customers on social media for supporting the restaurant and its decision.
“It is simply unimaginable that you would target a restaurant for trying to keep your employees safe,” said Knight. “It’s just the day we live in, right? This debate about masks has become highly political and that is why we are really putting pressure on restaurants to post these guidelines outside, so that at least guests know their position.”
The association interviewed its members and 700 restaurants responded that they wanted to keep employees masked, especially until they were vaccinated, Knight said.
Businesses in Houston that require customers to continue wearing masks have received some support from police chief Art Acevedo.
On Wednesday, Richards said he would place a chair in front of his restaurant to keep out anyone who is not wearing a mask. He said he also cares about people trying to scold his team because of the mask policy.
“It’s very simple,” said Richards. “You can go wherever you want. If I find a restaurant that accepts you without a mask, I would like to know.”