HARLINGEN, Texas (Border Report) — A lack of employees in Texas to staff restaurants, bars and hotels due to threat of ICE raids at workplaces is taking a toll on the state’s economy, according to the Texas Restaurant Association.
In the latest episode of Border Report Live, South Texas correspondent Sandra Sanchez and host Rudy Mireles speak with Kelsey Erickson Streufert, spokeswoman for the Texas Restaurant Association, about how restaurants and hotels are struggling due to increased U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are searching Texas establishments looking for undocumented immigrants.
Nearly a quarter of all workers in the restaurant industry are immigrants. The Texas Restaurant Association wants Congress and the Trump administration to allow special work permits for long-term, tax-paying immigrants to encourage workers to continue showing up to staff the state’s hospitality industry.
The restaurant industry in Texas adds $138 billion to the state’s economy with 57,000 locations, according to the Texas Restaurant Association.
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