Amid community outcry, ICE releases statement on arrests of N.J. restaurant owners
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson released a statement on the detainment of the owners of a popular New Jersey restaurant amid outrage from local community leaders and residents.
Last Tuesday, ICE officers raided the Jersey Kebab restaurant in Haddon Township and arrested the owners, Emine Emanet and her husband, Celal Emanet.
'During the investigation, ICE administratively arrested two Turkish citizens, Emine and Celal Emanet, who are present in the United States illegally. ICE authority under Title 8 of the U.S. Code enables the agency to investigate and enforce immigration laws, particularly in cases where immigration violations intersect with national security, public safety and transnational crime,' the ICE spokesperson wrote in a statement on Friday. 'The Emanets were served a notice to appear before an immigration judge and place in removal proceedings.'
Celal Emanet was released from custody with an ankle monitor and spoke with NBC10 on Tuesday.
'I was shocked and my heart was getting crushed,' he said. 'I was so much nervous. But I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't do anything wrong in my life.'
His wife remains in custody at an ICE detention center in North Jersey.
'Emine Emanet remains in ICE custody and Celal Emanet is on an Alternative to Detention (ATD), each pending removal proceedings. ICE's ATD program, which began in 2004, uses technology and case management to ensure alien compliance with release conditions, court hearings and final orders of removal,' the ICE spokesperson wrote in part.
Immigration attorney Joseph Best told NBC10 the couple moved to the United States from Turkey in 2008 on an R1 visa. According to Camden County officials, Celal Emanet applied for a green card before the visa expired. Emanet said his application was denied three times and the couple has been in limbo since 2016.
'This incident is appalling and an unfortunate example of just how broken the immigration system is here in our country,' Camden County commissioner director Louis Cappelli Jr. said in a statement on Feb. 27. 'This couple works hard every single day to provide for their four children, grandchildren and to feed the community. They have been left without any options when it comes to their immigration status and to be arrested for something they have no control over, is unacceptable.'
Cappelli, Haddon Township Mayor Randall Teague and other community leaders held a press conference in support of the Emanet family outside Jersey Kebab on Thursday.
Teague described the couple's restaurant as a 'pillar' in Haddon Township. He also said the family has participated in Toys for Tots drives and organized food drives that have 'left a lasting impact' on the community.
'We consider this situation maybe somewhat different than some of the other ones that we hear on TV where there's criminals and rapists and so forth coming into our country, Teague said. 'They came in here legally and they're trying to stay here legally.'
Teague said Haddon Township leaders reached out to Rep. Donald Norcross, D-N.J., for guidance on the ongoing case.
The local officials also had a broader message about the immigration system and delays within it.
'This family is a family that embodies the very best of Camden County. And now they're torn apart by this broken immigration system,' Cappelli said. 'It is time to stand up for good people. It is time to stand up for humanity. These folks do not deserve this. These folks do not deserve this. Fix the immigration system and let's fix it now.'
Camden County Commissioner Virginia Betteridge, whose parents came to America from Cuba in the 1960s, also spoke about fixing the 'pathway.'
'There is no reason for people to be incarcerated when they're waiting to get their documents in order and to be sure that they can become a resident and then a citizen of this country,' she said.
In addition to Camden County leaders, Haddon Township residents are also showing their support for the couple. A GoFundMe for the family has raised more than $310,000 as of Sunday.
Also on Sunday, community members gathered inside Anjali Power Yoga across the street from Jersey Kebab to write letters in support of Emine Emanet's release.
'The goal is for the judges, the politicians and anyone locally with influence and power to know that the community stands by this resident,' Isis Williams of the Haddon Township Equity Initiative told NBC10.
The couple's son, Muhammed Emanet, plans to take those letters to the immigration judge who ultimately presides over his mother's case. He said his family has been touched by the outpouring of support.
'I just cannot thank the community enough for the support they have given us,' he said. 'And I just wish that we were judged amongst our peers instead of being judged by other judges who do not personally know us at all.'
While Jersey Kebab remains closed until further notice, Muhammed Emanet still cooked free food for the community over the weekend.
'They are a good family. They are not criminals. They entered the U.S. legally," Best, the immigration lawyer, wrote in a statement to NBC10 on Sunday. 'The Federal immigration and nationality law provides for them the legal means to rectify their situation and seek relief from removal before the immigration court.'
Best told NBC10 he is waiting for the couple's case to be entered into the immigration court system, which will start the removal proceedings ICE is requesting but also allow the Emanets to ask for legal status. It's unclear how long that process would take. New Jersey's immigration court currently has more than 220,000 pending cases.
The couple's arrest occurred amid a nationwide push from President Donald Trump's administration to detain immigrants who entered the United States without the proper documents.
While the administration vowed to prioritize the 'worst first' when it comes to arrests and deportations, the number of detainees in ICE custody without a criminal conviction or pending criminal charges increased by more than 1,800 in the first two weeks of February, representing 41% of the 4,422 total new detainees in that period, according to data obtained by NBC News.
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If Republicans lose the House in next year's midterms, Noem's leadership of DHS would likely face much tougher congressional scrutiny. One Democrat, the representative Delia Ramirez, has already called for Noem's resignation. 'The theatrics of terror and erosion of our constitutional rights are daily DHS violations under Secretary Noem,' Ramirez, who sits on the House homeland security committee, said. Yet the secretary, now firmly re-established at the center of Trump's orbit, appears undeterred. Her embrace of the spotlight – and unflinching execution of Trump's vision – has some wondering whether she's looking even farther ahead, perhaps to 2028, where the battle to become Trump's heir is already taking shape. 'Past secretaries of DHS have wanted to be, not seen, but heard,' Rosenzweig said. 'I'll put it another way, Noem is the first DHS secretary who's running for president.'
