We ask that you exercise your ability to stop the deportation of Natanael Martinez.

Natanael has been working in our Cafe for the better part of two years. Working at a restaurant is often like joining a family. You become very close to your colleagues through: long hours, hard work, the stress of rush (peak hours), and the exhale after a long shift or double. Wednesday morning, Natanael, one of our busboys, was taken by police for being intoxicated inside of our business. He was not posing a treat to anyone. The police would not allow fellow staff and restaurant leadership to keep him in their care despite multiple requests. It is important to note that the police issued the charge, not the restaurant staff or ownership. The charges were subsequently dropped. However, because Natanael, who is not a citizen, was taken in, he is now up for deportation. We are devastated by this unfair course of events. Natanael has been an active, essential, and fun loving part of our restaurant family, and we believe he should be allowed stay so. Natanael has done nothing to warrant his removal from our community and we are all signing this petition as a united request to stop the deportation proceedings for Natanael Martinez.

In the ICE memo released on June 17th, Director John Morton stated that ICE intended to prioritize and pursue cases against those who have committed crimes and pose a threat to US communities. Natanael does not pose a national security or public safety concern. He is an integral part of our restaurant community, and he was not convicted of a crime. Natanael should be considered ‘low-priority’ and his case should be stopped.

We request that you act immediately to stop the deportation or removal of Natanael Martinez.