Thousands support City Watch Coffee owner facing ICE deportment – Charm

Updated Aug. 31, 2026, 4:53 p.m. ET

A local coffee shop co-owner was detained by ICE and faces possible deportation to Cambodia.
Thousands of residents have signed an online petition to support Ratha San, the detained business owner.
An ICE spokesperson stated San is a “criminal illegal alien” and has a final order of removal from 2008.

Thousands of residents rallied around the co-owner of Lebanon’s City Watch Coffee, who was detained and faces possible deportation to Cambodia by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

More than 3,000 residents have signed an online petition called “Keep Ratha Home,” showing their support for Ratha San, who is currently being detained in an ICE detention facility.

“We are asking the ICE Philadelphia Field Office, Congressman Dan Meuser, Senator McCormick, and Senator Fetterman to exercise discretion, grant a stay of removal, and give Ratha the chance to pursue the legal status he has spent 20 years trying to earn the right way,” organizers said in the petition.

On Monday, Aug. 24, San was detained during a routine check-in.

Kasey Daley, San’s wife, previously told the Lebanon Daily News that San is being held at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center. San’s family has an immigration lawyer, has filed a Petition for Alien Relative with the courts, and has contacted Meuser’s office for assistance.

But Daley said she is preparing to relocate the family to Cambodia with her husband, and is in the process of selling City Watch Coffee.

“He is going to Cambodia. I know that I cannot stop that,” Daley told the Lebanon Daily News. “But my hope going forward is that one day he can come back.”

Cleona Mayor Matt Zechman told residents that the online petition was created to support a local business and neighbor that has given so much to the Cleona community.

“I want to be clear that this isn’t about politics,” Zechman said on his Facbook page. “It’s about a family and a business that matters to this community. Regardless of where anyone stands on broader issues, I hope we can all recognize this is a genuinely difficult situation for people who have been part of our daily lives.”

A DHS spokesperson told reporters on Aug. 27 that ICE arrested San as a “criminal illegal alien from Cambodia,” and that he would remain in ICE custody pending removal. The spokesperson cited criminal cases from 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2007.

“On March 15, 1982, San legally entered the country through Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. “An immigration judge issued San a final order of removal on Dec. 18, 2008.”

On Wednesday, Aug. 26, Daley posted on the City Watch Coffee Facebook page about San’s potential deportation and that the business will be sold in the near future. Daily told the Lebanon Daily News the post was meant to say why her husband would not be around and why the shops will be closing.

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Since that post, members of San’s family started a GoFundMe page, which has gained more than $15,600 from residents as of Monday, Aug 31. Organizers said that the fundraiser will help San and his family with “the urgent costs of hiring an immigration lawyer and preparing for the possibility of moving his family to Cambodia in the future.”

“This is a devastating time for everyone who loves him, and any support can make a meaningful difference as they face the legal process and the challenges ahead,” organizers stated.

Before the petition and the GoFundMe page, Daley told the Lebanon Daily News that the family cared about City Watch Coffee and their relationship with the Lebanon County Community. Daley said she’s been “incredibly grateful” to have such a caring community supporting her family.

“Those small comments from people, it just shows me that it’s going to be OK,” she said.

The Lebanon Daily News reached out to Meuser’s office for comment about San’s detention, but has not received a statement as of publication.