The family of Emine Emanet was waiting for her outside of the Elizabeth Detention Center when she was released from ICE custody on Wednesday. NBC10’s Aaron Baskerville has the story.
A New Jersey restaurant owner who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last month was released from custody and reunited with her family.
A spokesperson for the nonprofit Envision Freedom Fund told NBC10 they successfully posted the $7500 bond for Emine Emanet, 47, on Wednesday, March 12, a day after the bond was set by a judge.
“No one should have to endure the pain of separation and uncertainty that Emine and her family have experienced,” said Rosa Santana, co-executive director of Envision Freedom. “This case is yet another example of how ICE weaponizes detention and bond to punish immigrant communities. Families like the Emanets should be living their lives without the fear of being targeted and detained. Thankfully, this case is also an example of how collective action can protect our communities.”
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WATCH HEREEmanet's family traveled to the ICE detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to pick her up on Wednesday shortly after 6 p.m.
NBC10 was there as Emanet's family greeted her with flowers and hugs. With her husband and son by her side, Emanet spoke in Turkish as she thanked the community for their support. She said she plans to first spend quality time with her children and grandchildren before returning to running her restaurant, Jersey Kebab, which has been temporarily closed since her arrest two weeks ago.
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Local
On Tuesday, Feb. 25, ICE officers raided the Jersey Kebab restaurant on 150 Haddon Avenue in Haddon Township, New Jersey, 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,” an ICE spokesperson wrote in a statement on Friday, Feb. 28. “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 while his wife was placed in custody at the ICE detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
“As with any noncitizen in the United States without lawful status, 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," an ICE spokesperson wrote in February. "Per ICE policy, we will not discuss active or ongoing investigations. ICE is also unable to provide any information on the individuals detained due to privacy issues.”
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 Thursday, 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.”
Support from residents and local leaders
Cappelli Jr., Haddon Township Mayor Randall Teague, and other community leaders held a press conference in support of the Emanet family outside Jersey Kebab on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025.
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,” Mayor Teague said. “They came in here legally and they’re trying to stay here legally.”
Teague said Haddon Township leaders reached out to U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ) 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 Jr. 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 60s – 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 also showed their support for the couple. A GoFundMe for the family has raised more than $327,000 as of Wednesday, March 12.
After the bond hearing for his mother on Tuesday, Muhammed Emanet spoke with NBC10 about the support his family has received from the community.
"Our community has truly become our family in these last couple weeks as well seeing our burdens that we’ve dealt with for so long," he said. "We’re just so grateful to be in the position to where we can be a voice for the people that are suffering with the same immigration status as well alongside my mother because there are a lot of people that are suffering much worse than us so we just pray for them as well.”
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.
“They are a good family. They are not criminals," Best said. "They entered the U.S. legally,' he wrote. "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.”
Celal Emanet told NBC10 on Tuesday that they'll be back in court towards the end of May. He also said the family doesn't expect to reopen Jersey Kebab -- which has remained closed since their arrest -- until after Ramadan, which ends on March 29, 2025. He also said they plan to host an event to thank the community for their support.
Detention centers at capacity
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.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Wednesday, March 12, that its immigrant detention centers are at capacity, housing about 47,600 people.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday on background, DHS officials said they are working with the Marshals Service, Department of Defense and Federal Bureau of Prisons to increase bed space as they ask Congress for more funding.
Arrested individuals are also being released from detention on a case-by-case basis using ICE’s Alternatives to Detention program based on medical or humanitarian concerns, they said.
The senior DHS and ICE officials also provided new arrest data cataloging Trump’s first 50 days back in office. According to DHS data, from Jan. 20 to March 10, 2025 ICE has arrested 32,809 individuals.
According to officials, of those, 14,111 were convicted criminals, 9,980 have pending criminal charges and 8,718 have only immigration-related violations.
