Jadira sweeps the floor of her beauty salon tucked into a southern Dallas neighborhood as a client and her two kids arrive. Jadira helps the four-year-old up on the salon chair as his mom explains the type of haircut she would like for her son.
For the last 20 years, Jadira — whom KERA is only referring to by her first name because she does not have legal status in the U.S. — has been forging relationships with community members and has seen generations grow up and remain loyal customers. But she is now afraid that the trust and connections she has built could be taken away because of a new regulation that requires occupational license holders to show proof of legal status.
“I’m worried about the new requirements to get a license because my livelihood depends on this,” Jadira told KERA in Spanish. “I’ve also talked to various people in the same situation as me, and we don’t know what to do.”…