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.”
She said she’s “in limbo” without any clear guidance.
Under the new requirement by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) that went into effect May 1, anyone renewing their license must show proof of legal status in the U.S.
The new rule affects approximately 40 professions, including cosmetologists like Jadira, estheticians, nail techs, eyelash techs and barbers.
“It’s a very radical change because it doesn't just affect those who work in the beauty industry, but the majority of Latinos without legal status in areas such as plumbing, air conditioning, electricity,” Luisa Carrillo, who runs a beauty school based in North Dallas, said in Spanish. “So we’re not just talking about beauty.”
Carrillo is worried of what the change means for the future of beauty schools in North Texas – the ones that have predominantly migrant students. Some of her students have considered leaving the beauty school, she said.
“We are telling them to keep coming so that they can continue learning, that no one is going to take it away from us,” Carrillo said. “And besides that, I have hopes that it will end or the situation will change during the course of this year. Maybe not right now, but in two or three years.”
According to a recent report by the Texas Tribune, the state is home to an estimated 1.7 million people without authorization who work in industries regulated by TDLR.
Juan Carlos Cerda is the state director for the American Business Immigration Coalition, a nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for immigration reform in the workforce. He said he’s worried the new licensing requirement will further force migrants without legal status into the shadows. There’s a risk for a person who depends on an occupational license to keep practicing, he said.
“They will have to continue trying to get an income because bills don't pay themselves,” Cerda said. “But at the same time, they are at risk of being liable for practicing without a license.”
Cerda said although Texas hasn’t had the same level of worksite enforcement as other states–the new regulation is another layer targeting a vulnerable group. A quarter of all ICE arrests in 2025 were in Texas, according to federal data obtained by the University of California, Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project.
Consequences of practicing without a license include being fined, and renewals being placed on hold or denied, he said.
Jadira said she will still apply to renew her license before it expires in the fall and will hope for the best. She doesn’t have any immediate plans to close the salon she owns and operates.
While she said she doesn’t have a Social Security number, she has an ITIN, or tax identification number, to pay local, state and federal taxes every year. “People like me come here to do good things,” she said.
Some of her clients have taken it upon themselves to write letters of support for Jadira, hoping it makes a difference. She gets nervous receiving text messages from the state reminding her to renew her license.
“I will fight until the last moment, until the end,” Jadira said. “To be able keep up with economic costs, and to ask God for a light and a path to resolution.”
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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