Haddon Township residents and officials rally behind restaurant owners arrested by ICE

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Camden County officials and community members stood outside of the Jersey Kabob restaurant in Haddon Township, New Jersey on Thursday denouncing the arrest of the restaurant’s owner and his wife by federal immigration officials.

“We couldn’t ask for better people to be in our community, better people to have a business in our community. And it truly is a tragedy,” said Haddon Township Mayor Randall Teague. “The entire community, the entire area, feels so bad and awful for them that something like this could happen to such good people.”

Celal and Emine Emanet came to the United States on student visas in 2016. They applied for green cards before their visas expired. Their applications were denied three times. According to Celal, their applications have been in limbo since 2016. He said the attorney they have been working with advised them to stay in the country to avoid an even longer delay in the process.

“Another immigration rule, when we get out from this country, when you go home, we cannot enter this country because they say we are out of status,” he said. “If you overstay … you cannot come here [in] maybe one year until 10 years.”

Officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested them Tuesday because of their immigration status.

Celal Emanet has since been released, but is required to wear an ankle monitor. His wife of 27 years, Emine, remains at a detention center. Their son, Muhammad Emanet, said they have been in touch with her, adding that she is devastated.

“There’s no reason a woman who’s never committed a crime should have to sit behind bars for three weeks and where she speaks limited English,” he said, while sharing gratitude for the support his family received. “Our family, which is our customers that we have gained throughout the years that we spent here, is now truly our family, because they are seeing our deepest burdens that we’ve dealt with for years.”

Muhammad Emanet and Celal Emanet were surrounded by Camden County commissioners and other local officials as everyone spoke in support of the family while slamming federal officials for not addressing problems with the immigration system.

“There were two instances where there was bipartisan legislation that would have fixed the immigration problem, that would have set forth a process by which individuals like the one standing behind me can become citizens of the United States,” said Camden County Commissioner Director Lou Cappelli. “Both times that bipartisan legislation was ready to be voted on, Donald Trump made sure it did not happen.”

Elected officials and community members said that Celal and Emine Emanet are caring, hospitable people. A sign on the restaurant’s door invites people who are homeless, disabled or cannot afford it to come in for a meal.

Gretchen Siebert, with the civic group Cooper River Indivisible, posted notes of support in the shape of hearts on the window of the restaurant. She said it was a “gut punch” when she heard about the ICE arrests.

“I started crying, and I thought everything that I had been afraid of on a national level is happening on a local level,” she said. “The entire community is upset.”

For now, the restaurant will be closed until further notice.

Emine Emanet is a central part of Jersey Kabob, Celal Emanet said. She would start cooking early in the morning while he handled other duties, such as cooking and caring for their children.

“Without her, we cannot do anything,” he said. “Also without her, I cannot do anything because my heart is busy with her.”

A GoFundMe campaign for the family that was organized by a neighbor, has attracted thousands of donors.

“Whoa!” Celal Emanet said when a reporter showed him the status of the campaign as it neared its $300,000 goal.