By Steven Zaitz
As sexton of the Trinity Episcopal Church, Yader Salgado has a lot of responsibilities and just as many keys on his oversized key ring to manage them.
But as he ambles through the venerable building on Main Street in Northport early on a rainy Monday morning, he’s able to unlock every door he needs to, barely glancing at the massive collection of brass jangling from his belt.
Despite being in the job for less than a year, Salgado has quickly learned how to take care of the church and its grounds as if he has been doing it for decades. Since returning to Northport in June 2024 from his native Nicaragua, he has become a beloved member of the church and the community.
But in late March, Salgado received a letter from the United States Department of Homeland Security informing him that his enrollment in the United States humanitarian parole program had been revoked and he, his wife and two children would have to leave the country by April 24. Many of the participants in this program, which allowed half a million people from countries like Ukraine, Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua to live in the United States temporarily but legally, are receiving these revocation letters.
The soft-spoken Salgado, who is from a town called Chacaraseca, about 50 miles northeast of the capital of Managua, was shocked when he received it.
“We were not expecting this letter,” said Yader (pronounced YAH-ther). “We’ve been trying so hard to do things right, writing letters to our sponsors and making sure that everything was fine with the immigration department. Then suddenly I just get this letter asking us to depart. We didn’t know what to do and we were very scared and afraid.”
Yader Salgado first came to the United States in the 1990s on a student visa sponsored by missionaries, one of whom was Peter White, a retired Northport High School teacher. Salgado then graduated from Northport High School in 1998 and went to Belmont Abbey College on a full scholarship. Upon graduation, he traveled back to Nicaragua, where he met his wife Sayda. The couple with their son Jesse, 20, and daughter also named Sayda, who is a current Northport High School freshman, came back to the United States this past summer on the two-year parole status.
However, the letter from Homeland Security prematurely nullified the parole status after 10 months.
Father Andrew Garnett, who is the rector of Trinity Church, sprang into action upon hearing of this letter, initially taking to social media.
“Yader is the American Dream,” Father Andrew’s Facebook post read. “He and his family waited, worked and prayed for the chance to legally come to this country. From day one, he has been nothing but the best. His family is a shining example of what it means to be an American. He embodies the values of faith, family and hard work. To send him and his family away is not justice. It is a betrayal of the very principles upon which this nation was built.” The post ended with the hashtag of #saveyader.
Father Andrew’s parishioners feel the same.
“This is a human who, with a leap of faith in our country, needed safety, and we offered it to him in Northport — both as a high school student and as a member of the Trinity community,” said Nadine Palumbo, a longtime educator in the Jericho Union Free School District and member of Trinity Episcopal Church. “As a teacher for 30 years, I stood and did the Pledge of Allegiance every day and that meant something to me. I know people have political differences, but when we talk about our basic principles, I think everyone can agree that this letter felt wrong on so many levels.”
Artists Bob and Nancy Hendrick, who are members of the church and also run the Trinity Community Art Center attached to it, have formed close bonds with the Salgados who live in the apartment above the art gallery.
“Yader and his family are a shining example of what it means to be part of our church family, where we support and uplift each other and their love and devotion inspire us to spread love and kindness wherever we go,” Bob Hendrick said. “We believe in treating each other with kindness and respect, embracing everyone in our community and beyond.”
The sentiment started to snowball — at first within the confines of the church, then in the Village of Northport. It then began to radiate across Long Island and into New York City, as News12 and the other major local news outlets learned of the Salgados’ story. Yader and Father Andrew were on television all week and the unassuming sexton, who also works behind the deli counter at a local supermarket, was now a media sensation.
With the publicity, a church connection to gain legal support and help from the Northport Mayor’s office, Yader was able to attain temporary asylum until his case is heard by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, which could take up to three years. While the Salgados’ immigration journey is not over, they are out of immediate danger.
“These are the kind of people who we should be rallying behind,” Father Andrew said. “It’s not a left or a right or a center thing. It’s the correct thing.”
The Salgados appreciate the love and support.
“Everybody has been so warm and welcoming to my family and me and I like Northport a lot,” Yader said. “A lot of people have supported me and a lot of people just really like me even if they don’t know me, they want to know who I am. I’m happy to be part of this congregation of this church and part of this in a church family. I’m happy to be part of Northport.”
And Yader and his family would love to add one more key to his ring — the one that opens the door to permanent residence in Northport and the United States.
What’s more fun than an Easter egg hunt? Here is a list of egg hunts on the North Shore for this weekend and next weekend so grab your baskets and a camera and hippity hop over to these fun springtime celebrations.
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