HIS ‘HEART WAS BROKEN’
Restaurant owner who was threatened with deportation returns to Mexico
KINGSTON, N.Y. » Less than two weeks after receiving a certificate of appreciation from Mayor Steve Noble, and under threat of deportation, Midtown business owner Leo Santos has left the United States and returned to his home country of Mexico.
Matthew Colangelo, who owns the Broadway building where Santos’ restaurant is located, said Santos was ordered to leave the United States by June 20 but departed on Saturday. He was back in Mexico by Monday, Colangelo said.
Santos has been co-owner of the restaurant Just for You at 375 Broadway with business partner Ines Santos. Ines Santos said Monday that Leo Santos sent her video footage of him being greeted by family when he arrived in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Ines Santos said she will continue to run the restaurant on her own rather than hire another cook. She also said she appreciated the support of community members who have come to eat at her business.
Colangelo said in an email that Ines Santos “is going to do her best to run the res-
taurant without him while continuing to help Leo’s immigration battle to reenter the U.S. legally.”
“The process isn’t easy,” Colangelo said, “but Leo has always been committed to following the law. It’s a very sad and unfortunate set of circumstances.”
Ines Santos said Leo had a U.S. work permit, which he renewed each year, and a Social Security number. But it will be at least 10 years before he can return to the United States, she said.
During the June 6 meeting of the Kingston Common Council, Noble presented Leo Santos with a certificate of appreciation that recognized his contributions to the community as a longtime business owner and resident.
“When Alderman [Reynolds] Scott-Childress approached me about honoring Leo as a small business owner and community member, I was happy to help,” Noble said in an email a few days after the meeting. “I was particularly moved by the letter written by local resident Matt Colangelo, describing Leo’s story and his love of this community. I truly wish him the best in the future.”
Scott-Childress, D-Ward 3, read Colangelo’s letter aloud during the council meeting prior to Noble presenting Santos with the certificate.
In his letter, Colangelo wrote he did not hesitate to buy the Broadway building, which is across the street from HealthAlliance Hospital’s Broadway Campus, because he knew the place was special.
“Both Leo and Ines embody what it means to live the American Dream, but that dream has since turned into a nightmare,” Colangelo wrote.
According to published reports, Leo Santos entered the United States illegally in 1999 and later married an American woman, then ran into trouble when he was told two drunken-driving convictions meant he couldn’t get a green card.
Colangelo said Leo Santos was informed on Jan. 10 that his immigration battle was over and he had to return to Mexico, leaving behind his 13-year-old son and everything else he has known for almost 20 years.
“Even in spite of receiving this news, Leo has remained upbeat, positive and committed to following the law, but it was clear to me that Leo’s heart was broken,” Colangelo said.
He said the deportation notice came the same day the Common Council was holding a public hearing on a proposal to declare Kingston a sanctuary city. Colangelo said Leo Santos decided to attend and share his story.
“What followed was an amazing outpouring of support from this community, as over 170 letters were received, many expressing their appreciation and willingness to do whatever they could to help,” Colangelo wrote.
“While the outcome wasn’t what we had all hoped for, this community has demonstrated what it means to be a ‘sanctuary city’ by providing Leo with a piece of its heart and has made it clear that love, not hate, is what makes Kingston great.”