Haddon Twp. Restaurant Owner Detained By ICE Has Bond Hearing Date Set: Report

HADDON TOWNSHIP, NJ — The woman who has been detained since immigration authorities raided her family restaurant in Haddon Township will have a hearing Tuesday to determine whether she will be freed from custody, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided Jersey Kebab on Feb. 25 and detained the husband and wife who own and operate the restaurant.

The husband, Celal Emanet, was released with an ankle monitor. But his wife, Emine Emanet, remains in custody at the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility in North Jersey.

At an upcoming hearing, an immigration judge will determine whether to keep Emine in custody or to set bond, which could free her as deportation proceedings play out.

Future hearings will determine whether Emine and Celal get deported to their native Turkey.

The couple moved to the United States in 2008 on a religious visa. They applied for green cards in 2016, when their visa was still in effect. But their case has remained open for nine years, leaving them in limbo, according to a GoFundMe supporting the family's legal battle.

Members of the public and local officials have expressed support for the Emanets, who run a successful restaurant in the heart of Haddon Township. The GoFundMe has generated about 7,700 donations totaling $321,948 as of this writing.

Joseph Best, an immigration attorney representing the family, says they're focused on getting Emine released.

"She entered the U.S. legally, has no criminal record anywhere in the world, is not a flight risk, poses no threat to national security or public safety," Best told Patch. "They are eager to pursue their cases together as a family, as the law provides."

An ICE spokesperson told Patch that the Emanets were arrested as part of an ongoing investigation.

"As with any noncitizen in the United States without lawful status," the spokesperson said, "ICE officers make enforcement decisions on a case-by-case basis to focus on the greatest threats to homeland security in a professional and responsible manner informed by their experience as law enforcement officers."

The spokesperson declined to disclose the nature of the investigation or how the case allegedly tied into homeland security. They also said they couldn't provide information on detained individuals due to privacy issues.