A Madison restaurant owner was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement while returning from Mexico, leading local residents to organize a fundraiser supporting his family and business, according to WMTV15.
Noel Quintana, owner of Señor Machetes in downtown Madison near the Capitol, was taken into custody at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport while traveling on a green card, according to WMTV15.
Two separate online fundraisers organized by community members have collected more than $50,000 to support Quintana, with donors describing him as a dedicated family man, responsible business owner and respected member of the community, according to Spectrum News 1.
Online records from the Clay County Sheriff’s office in Indiana report that Quintana was brought into custody at the county jail Jan. 28, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. The Department of Homeland Security said a 2006 conviction for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute is grounds for revoking his lawful permanent resident status, according to WPR.
Court records show Quintana’s 2006 conviction resulted in probation and treatment, and he has had no other conviction in Wisconsin since, according to Spectrum News 1. Quintana applied to have the 2006 conviction pardoned Feb. 9, according to WPR.
Rep. Francesca Hong, D-Madison, said the detention has affected the broader Madison community.
“I think it has really shook the community into knowing how close the enforcement of ICE is,” Hong said. “For our neighbors to feel that a neighbor can be abducted is terrifying, but I think the community response shows how dedicated we are to building a community.”
Hong said Quintana was “committed to being a great employer,” and supported other business owners while serving his community.
Tony Castañeda, a candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly District 76, said he has known the Quintana family for years through a Mexican golf league, according to Madison365. Castañeda criticized the detention, saying it reflects what he sees as a broader pattern of ICE targeting established, hard-working community members, according to Madison365.
“This was clearly a racially motivated incident,” Hong said. “For Mr. Quintana to be here legally, and to be an entrepreneur and someone who has served his community and served his time for a small crime, that they are targeted — it is because there’s melanin in his skin.”
Lawyers representing Quintana said they are “fighting to keep his family together and their neighborhood whole,” according to WMTV15.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, representing the immigrant rights group Voces de la Frontera, filed a petition with the Wisconsin Supreme Court challenging the legality of ICE detainers in county jails, according to a Sept. 18, 2025 report from ACLU.
“It is important that [Wisconsin residents] remain vigilant and that we take care of one another,” Hong said. “This could happen to any of our neighbors, but there are more of us who refuse to stay silent, who are investing in mutual aid, and doing what we can to protect one another, and it matters.”
