Judge orders release of New Jersey restaurant owner detained by ICE on a $7,500 bond

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A federal judge Tuesday ordered the release of a New Jersey restaurant owner arrested by immigration enforcement officers.

Emine Emanet’s hearing took place at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The judge set her bond at $7,500. Emanet could be home with her family as early as Wednesday, while deportation proceedings continue.

On Feb. 25, Emanet and her husband, Celal Emanet, were arrested at Jersey Kebab, their Haddon Township restaurant. Celal Emanet was released a day later with an ankle monitor.

Emine Emanet has remained in custody since then. Their lawyer, Joseph Best, said before the bond hearing Tuesday that Emine Emanet “is a good person” who “entered the U.S. legally and lived here in lawful status for a long time.”

The couple came from Turkey in 2008 on student visas, and fell out of status when their visas expired. They were awaiting word on their green card or permanent residency application when ICE agents picked them up.

“No public interest is served by her separation from her husband, children and grandchildren all within this very American family,” Best said. “We simply want her to be reunited with her family so that we can pursue their legal case together.”

Ever since the arrest, Haddon Township residents and Camden County officials rallied behind the family. Community members taped messages of support on the restaurant’s window. A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $325,000 for the family.