 Santiago cites her report that led to then governor Charlie Crist freeing a man named Richard Peay who was sentenced to a 25-year mandatory prison term as the highlight of her professional journalism career, according to an interview she did with Aventura Business Monthly.com 

In February 2006, Congressman Kendrick Meek sent President George W. Bush a copy of Santiago's report "Return to Haiti", urging the President to halt the deportations of Haitians because of an omission in the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act.