A family-run Mexican restaurant in Harlingen, Texas handed over the food after ice agents detained the owner and most of the staff, the family says.
The El Control Mexican Restaurant closed its doors on Tuesday and handed over food after Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents stormed the restaurant.
“The ice arrived, we went straight to the kitchen, asked for a Social Security number, a work permit, and asked all workers to come to the kitchen,” explained Sheila Gomez, daughter of the El Control owner.
Telemundo 40 Telemundo 40
Sheila Gomez, who owns El Control Mexican restaurant in Harlingen, Texas, speaks to customers outside the restaurant.
Gomez told McAllen’s Telemundo 40 that the experience was devastating not only for the restaurant but also for her family.
“They took my mother, my stepfather and my sister, and they took two workers,” she added.
Her family was in custody and Sheila was in charge of the restaurant and her sister. She said she struggled to find people, including those with legal status, who were willing to meet the work they needed to continue with the restaurant.
Despite community support, Sheila said she is worried about the family’s long-term future in Harlingen.
“That’s something my family finds together again difficult. That may not happen. We’re used to the idea that we have to close here,” Sheila said in Spanish. “They are taking people who are wrong, people who are doing something for this country.”
Telemundo 40 Telemundo 40
The kitchen is empty at the family-run El Control Mexican restaurant in Harlingen, Texas.
Source link
