Dozens of friends, supporters and members of the Madison community packed into a private event space above local restaurant Señor Machetes to fundraise for the family of owner Noel Quintana Friday evening.
The fundraiser was held in response to Quintana’s arrest at O'Hare international airport by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Jan. 23. Quintana, a legal U.S. resident, was detained as he was returning home from a trip to Mexico.
The Daily Cardinal confirmed on Wednesday in a phone call Quintana is currently being held at the Clay County Jail in Brazil, Indiana.
Quintana immigrated to the U.S. to work when he was 16 years old. Originally in construction, Quintana worked multiple jobs to support his family. Once his children grew up, Quintana began thinking about starting a small business — eventually opening Señor Machetes in 2019.
Señor Machete employees kept the atmosphere lively in spite of Quintana’s detention, playing Latin American music from a stage. Attendees filtered in and out of the room, conversing over drinks and restaurant staples like the “Salchicha,” a bacon-wrapped hot dog.
Madison resident Pierre Sosa had never visited Señor Machetes prior to attending the fundraiser, but upon hearing of Quintana’s detention, he said had to make his presence known.
“I'm sad that it takes this much organization to get that kind of response, that we need to organize this much to support the community,” Sosa told the Cardinal. “But it's part of it, getting to know who needs help and making sure that people are there to support. It's kind of exciting to know that at least there is motion — there is movement toward that.”
Tony Castañeda, state assembly candidate for Wisconsin’s 76th district, told the Cardinal he is a long-time friend of Quintana. He attended to support the family and help show “how much the community is ready to come together.”
“I have a Latin jazz band, and we used to play here for five years in the summer,” Castañeda said. “And Quintana is just very generous — he took care of us, respected us in our music and what we did.”
In a statement made to Wisconsin Public Radio, a Department of Homeland Security official said that U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested Quintana due to a prior conviction of possessing cocaine with the intention to “manufacture, distribute or deliver.”
“Under our nation’s laws, our government has the authority to revoke a green card if our laws are broken and abused,” the statement said. “In addition to immigration removal proceedings, lawful permanent residents presenting at a U.S. port of entry with previous criminal convictions may be subject to mandatory detention.”
Quintana holds a felony charge for cocaine possession in 2006, though he has had no further criminal charges since. Quintana applied to have the felony removed from his legal record earlier this month.
Skylar Goicoechea, a Madison resident who frequents Señor Machetes, said she was not surprised to hear Quintana had been detained — but was nonetheless “heartbroken.”
She said she hopes he will be able to come home “safely [and] unharmed.”
“I think that you can tell that this is a loved restaurant, a loved family,” Goicoechea said. “And the outpour is heartwarming to see — that there are so many people in Madison that think the same.”
A GoFundMe organized by neighbors of the Quintanas has raised over $39,000 as of Wednesday afternoon.
Ted Hyngstrom is the Podcast Editor for The Daily Cardinal. Alongside directing all audio storytelling, Ted hosts the Cardinal Call, a weekly campus news feature segment airing on local radio station WORT 89.9 FM. He also covers current events for the campus news desk.
