‘Bring their daddy home.’ Rally demands local father’s release from ICE custody
Many residents in the small town of Staunton were shocked to learn that a local father and Mexican restaurant owner was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in late October shortly after dropping his two daughters off at elementary school.
Ismael Ayuzo Sandoval, 41, of Staunton, is being held at the Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center.
“We couldn’t imagine the fact that his daughters were going to go home that day and not be with him,” said Chelsa Pruden, a Staunton activist whose daughter goes to the same elementary school.
Pruden is the co-founder of Macoupin County Indivisible, a local grassroots group that opposes President Donald Trump’s immigration policies through regular protests like the “No Kings” rallies.
Over the course of a few days, she and other moms and community members helped connect Sandoval with an attorney, called on politicians to help get him released and organized a rally to publicly voice their support for him and draw attention to his case.
Hundreds of his friends and customers and others who have never met him gathered Sunday on Main Street, where his business, Caldera Bar and Grill, is located.
One of his daughters spoke to the large crowd from the restaurant’s parking lot.
“I just wanted to say that Ismael, my dad, he’s a great person and he should not be in that terrible place,” she said. “He should be free and he should return to me, my mom and my sister.”
Her short speech only lasted about 30 seconds but made some attendees emotional. Staunton native Rebecca Scheller turned around to hug her mom.
“It’s despicable that the government would take away someone’s father,” Scheller said in an interview after the event. “His daughter is incredibly brave for standing up in front of everybody to express her concern. All of his children deserve their father.”
A spokesperson for ICE described Sandoval as a “serial immigration offender” and a criminal in a statement provided to multiple St. Louis TV stations.
Meanwhile, residents from Staunton and the greater metro-east region say he has been a beloved member of the community for the past two decades.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, both Democrats, took notice. Budzinski issued a public statement Thursday calling Sandoval’s arrest “deeply troubling.”
“Myself and Senator Durbin are working urgently to obtain information about his status and to ensure he is released and reunited with his family immediately,” Budzinski wrote.
Marchers call for ‘pillar of the community’ to return home
Supporters marched Sunday with signs in hand from Route 66 Park to the restaurant. Among the signs were “We stand with Ismael” and “Bring their daddy home.”
Some of the attendees said they have grown close to Sandoval and his family from frequenting his restaurant.
Hannah Cooper and her mother Tricia Heepke, both from Macoupin County, said they’ve been visiting Caldera Bar and Grill for years to celebrate special occasions like birthdays.
“He’s such an amazing, wonderful, kind guy,” Cooper said. “… I hate to see this happen to him.”
“I just really hope that we can get him back home,” Heepke added.
Betty Cerutti, of Gillespie, said a friend of the family relayed a story about a recent call with Sandoval from the detention center that illustrates the lighthearted personality his loyal customers love about him.
“He said they’re treating him good. The food is terrible,” Cerutti said, laughing. “And he’s OK.”
Andrew Koehne, who has been keeping in touch with the family and sharing updates with the community, told the crowd Sunday that Sandoval remains optimistic.
Some who attended Sunday’s event had never met Sandoval but showed up because they care about the issue of ICE arrests, like Jennifer Grimm from the Edwardsville area, who described them as kidnappings.
“This is not what America is about,” Grimm said. “We are about due process.”
Another attendee, Sam McKenzie Jr. of Livingston, said he is appalled by arrests like Sandoval’s.
“He’s being separated from his children, and for what? For what benefit to the community?” he said.
“He’s a business owner,” McKenzie added. “The last thing we need are more empty storefronts in a small town like Staunton. He’s actually invested in our community. And from all I’ve heard, he’s a family man. He’s a pillar of the community. He makes delicious tacos. That’s all he’s guilty of, in my opinion.”
McKenzie was joined Sunday by his parents, Mary and Sam McKenzie Sr., who said they’ve been attending protests against Trump’s policies throughout the region.
Opposition to protesters has started to subside, even in traditionally red areas like Staunton, Sam McKenzie Sr. said.
“You see more and more honking and fewer adverse signs,” he said.
Some like Pruden and Scheller, who live in Staunton, said they were surprised that such a large crowd would show up for Sandoval in the largely conservative community.
Staunton has a population of about 5,000 people. A majority of voters in every precinct voted for Trump in the last three presidential elections.
“Growing up here, it wasn’t like this,” Scheller said. “It’s actually very inspiring that Staunton is able to do this because it’s not something I ever would have believed possible. It just always felt very divided.”
