Jersey Kebab To Reopen After NJ Restaurant Owners Are Freed From ICE Custody

HADDON TOWNSHIP, NJ — The owners of Jersey Kebab will soon return to what they love: feeding their community.

Last month, officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided the Haddon Township restaurant and detained the owners, who are husband and wife. The husband, Celal Emanet, was released that day. But his wife, Emine Emanet, remained in ICE's custody until mid-March, when a judge set bond for her release.

Jersey Kebab, which has been closed since the raid, will reopen on Sunday.

On reopening day, Jersey Kebab will hold a community celebration from 2-5 p.m. to welcome Emine's return. Free gyro platters will be served.

Celal and Emine, who are Turkish immigrants, will face legal proceedings to determine whether they'll get deported.

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.

Public support surged for the Emanets when they were detained. The GoFundMe generated $327,683.

Celal and Emine pay taxes and have a valid business license, the GoFundMe says. They also don't have criminal records or prior orders of removal by an immigration judge, according to the fundraiser.

Their restaurant, located in the heart of Haddon Township, has a sign on the door saying they will provide free food to anybody who is homeless, has a disability or simply cannot afford to eat there.

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.

Immigration attorney Joseph Best, who represents the Emanets, says the family poses no risk to national security or public safety.

"They are eager to pursue their cases together as a family, as the law provides," Best told Patch.

Jersey Kebab is located at 150 Haddon Ave., Haddon Township.