LIBERTY, Mo. — A week ago, Homeland Security Investigations removed 12 employees from El Potro Mexican Cafe and Cantina in Liberty, Missouri.
A rally was held at the restaurant Friday to show support for the restaurant and the families affected by the removal of restaurant workers.
Luz Robles’s brother is one of the 12 people taken away.
“My daughter is so attached to him," Robles said. "Every night she goes and prays to Jesus, saying she wants her uncle back. My brother is not a bad guy.”
Because Robles previously worked for El Potro, she knows other people who were detained.
“Everybody I’ve met here is not a bad person," she said. "All they want to do is work and provide a better life for their families.”
She says her brother is in a detention center in Kansas.
“They treat him well," Robles said. "I can’t complain."
She said he calls her three times each day.
“They're giving up, and what we do is try to get them hopeful," Robles said. "We try to stay strong out here, but we're also breaking inside."
The owner of El Potro also is feeling the pain.
“I love my employees like family, not like employees,” said Francisco De La Torre.
He said he's trying to stay positive.
Dozens of people gathered Friday to support his family business.
“We're not on our own, right? And that fills me with joy and everything,” De La Torre said. “You can always learn something from bad things.”
Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca helped organize the rally.
“We have to make sure that we're protecting those businesses as well because otherwise, you're going to be left with Taco Bell in this community if you don’t support businesses like this,” Abarca said.
Abarca said 11 people are in custody in Kansas, and a 60-year-old grandmother is in custody in Indiana.
Helen Ortiz is on the Board of Directors for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
She says the facility in Kansas is in Chase County and provided more information about detainees.
“There was a husband and wife included in the group, and there are children, but they have family, so the children are being taken care of right now,” Ortiz said. “The future is very uncertain for them.”
Both Ortiz and Abarca said they don't have specific information about the detainees' immigration status.
Laura Gitteran, a teacher who works with English language learners, came to the rally.
The immigration issue holds a special place in her heart.
“It’s not a political issue, it’s an issue of humanity,” Gitterman said. “I'm here to listen. I’m here to support them. I'm here to love them unconditionally and accept them.”
Support also comes from fundraisers to help families pay their legal bills.
“What we want to do is have our loved ones come back home,” Robles said.
—
KSHB 41 reporter Fe Silva covers education stories involving K-12. Share your story idea with Fe.
