photo by: Contributed

Lourdes Esmeralda Perez Rojo and Victor Roman smile in a photo taken at their restaurant, Los Guapos.

Erin Spiridigliozzi and her husband have been regulars at Lawrence’s Los Guapos restaurant since it opened two years ago.

Spiridigliozzi said the owners, Lourdes “Lulu” Esmeralda Perez Rojo and Victor Roman, “opened their arms and greeted us like family” from their first few visits, where they tried homemade natural margaritas and homemade Mexican flan. She said that level of respect is not just for them, but for “every customer that comes through that door.”

So when Spiridigliozzi learned earlier this month that Esmeralda Perez Rojo’s partner, Roman, faced immigration issues that led him to leave the country and community he built in Lawrence to return to his native Guatemala, she wanted to find a way to support Esmeralda Perez Rojo.

Spiridigliozzi started a GoFundMe that aims to support Roman, Esmeralda Perez Rojo and their young children as Roman navigates the uncertainty of the immigration system. Spiridigliozzi, a former associate dean at the University of Kansas, felt she had enough connections in Lawrence to raise “$5,000” for the family, but when it reached over $10,000, she was floored.

“I was like ‘holy s–,” Spiridigliozzi said.

The GoFundMe has now raised over $15,000 for the family as of Monday morning, and Spiridigliozzi hopes it can support the family that has had their worlds’ changed in an instant.

“It’s upended her life,” Spiridigliozzi said.

Esmeralda Perez Rojo told the Journal-World in Spanish that Roman was taken by immigration officials the week of April 21. Roman then decided that leaving the country and going back to Guatemala was the best way to help his immigration status so he could return to the United States, according to Esmeralda Perez Rojo.

That left Esmeralda Perez Rojo to deal with running both restaurants she and Roman started: Los Guapos and Lulu’s Latin Food. Spiridigliozzi said that Esmeralda Perez Rojo “has been exhausted,” facing the added challenges of running two restaurants and supporting her young family without Roman.

photo by: Submitted

Lourdes Esmeralda Perez Rojo, right, is pictured with her Los Guapos Latin Food partner, Victor Roman in 2024.

Esmeralda Perez Rojo said since Roman returned to Guatemala, she has been able to talk with him nearly every day. She said they are both strong, but the family doesn’t know when Roman could be able to return to the United States, but they have been told it could be six months, it could be two years, or a return might never come.

Nationally, the Trump administration has been urging many immigrants to “self deport,” meaning that they choose to return to their home country rather than be detained by ICE while they try to get proper approvals through the U.S. immigration system. The Trump administration even has been paying airfare for some people who self-deport, and the White House has touted a huge increase in such self deportations, although the official numbers are in question.

When Spiridigliozzi started the GoFundMe for the family, she felt a little bit conflicted. She knew Esmeralda Perez Rojo needed help, but they are “such humble people” they would have never asked for help themselves. However, she also knew that starting the campaign would expose the situation and potentially create additional stress for the family.

Esmeralda Perez Rojo said she did not want to ask for financial support in the situation, but she was appreciative that people have donated, believing their donation is a way of saying “we are with you.”

The GoFundMe page has received 335 total donations as of Monday, and Spiridigliozzi said that response from people has “kindled her soul.” It seems like each day there have been “10 or 12” more donations coming to the fund, highlighting how the community wanted to chip in to support a family that treated its customers like family.

“To have this outpouring from the community has made me proud, and I’m proud I was able to help in some small way,” Spiridigliozzi said.

If you are interested in donating or learning more about the GoFundMe for the family, the link is here.