HADDON TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY — U.S. marshals and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained Celal Emanet and Emine Emanet during a workday at their restaurant in Haddon Township, jolting a small South Jersey community and setting off immigration court cases that still carry the risk of deportation.
The detention pulled the couple away from the business that supports their family and has become a neighborhood gathering spot, with their son stepping in to keep operations going as legal bills mounted and hearings moved forward on separate schedules.
Muhammed Emanet described the moment officers took his parents away as the restaurant worked on a catering order. “My father has a truckload of groceries that’s outside. He just looks at me, he’s like, ‘Go unload the truck.’ And my mom goes, ‘Go finish the catering order’ as they’re getting taken out in handcuffs,” he said.
“My father has a truckload of groceries that’s outside. He just looks at me, he’s like, ‘Go unload the truck.’ And my mom goes, ‘Go finish the catering order’ as they’re getting taken out in handcuffs.”
Celal Emanet, 52, and Emine Emanet, 47, faced enforcement tied to expired visas as immigration court proceedings began, leaving their family trying to keep the restaurant afloat while contesting removal.
Celal first entered the United States in 2000 to learn English while pursuing a doctorate in Islamic history at a Turkish university. He later returned in 2008 on a religious worker visa to serve as an imam at a southern New Jersey mosque.
Emine joined him, and the couple brought their first two children; two more children were born in the U.S. They have been married for 27 years.
Before opening Jersey Kebab, the family ran a bread delivery business and pursued lawful permanent residence, an effort that remained unresolved for years. The uncertainty has hung over the household even as the restaurant’s customer base grew.
They opened the kebab shop in Haddon Township during the COVID-19 pandemic after delivery trucks idled, drawing on restaurant experience they had in Turkey. Over time, the restaurant became central to their identity in the area, with regulars and newcomers treating it as more than a quick lunch stop.
After the detention, Celal returned home the same day under monitoring conditions, while Emine remained in custody at a facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, more than an hour away. Her absence quickly became a practical and emotional blow to the household and the business.
Rosa Santana, executive director of the Brooklyn-based Envision Freedom Fund, said the nonprofit helped secure Emine’s release through the bond process. “No one should have to endure the pain of separation and uncertainty that Emine and her family have experienced,” Santana said.
“No one should have to endure the pain of separation and uncertainty that Emine and her family have experienced.”
For a period, Jersey Kebab shut its doors, and Muhammed Emanet leaned on friends, neighbors and supporters as he tried to restart service. He called his mother the anchor of this business. and our household.
The arrests reverberated in a heavily Democratic area where residents said the case contradicted their expectations about who would be targeted. Haddon Township Mayor Randy Teague pointed directly to that disconnect.
“They were not dangerous people — not the type of people we were told on TV they were looking to remove from our country.”
Support arrived in waves, from vigils and letter-writing to legal help and visits from Members of Congress. A crowdfunding drive collected hundreds of thousands of dollars and drew thousands of donors, helping cover family needs, business continuity and legal bills as the immigration cases moved ahead.
U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross met the family and framed their situation as one that demanded a route to stay. “All we’re asking for is a legal pathway to citizenship. If we were to look at who would make a good citizen of the United States, what we’re seeing here is exactly that,” Norcross said.
“All we’re asking for is a legal pathway to citizenship. If we were to look at who would make a good citizen of the United States, what we’re seeing here is exactly that.”
Customers began packing the small shop, and the surge in business helped push the family toward a late-2025 move into a larger space on Haddon Avenue in Collingswood. The new site expanded seating, added a breakfast menu, and brought in servers beyond Muhammed, reflecting how community support translated into day-to-day operations.
Even after the move, Muhammed said the family kept a public message at the restaurant tied to Muslim values, offering free meals to those in need. “anybody who has less than us,” he said.
Supporters continued to turn their backing into routine visits, including after political events. Judy Kubit, who visited from Medford with Linda Rey from Columbus after an anti-Trump “No Kings” rally, said, “We thought, we have to go in just to show our solidarity for the whole issue.”
“We thought, we have to go in just to show our solidarity for the whole issue.”
As the family looks ahead, immigration court remains a looming presence, with hearings scheduled on different timelines for different family members. Muhammed said those staggered schedules compound stress and leave them bracing for the possibility of deportation decisions landing at different times.
“Let’s say my mom gets hit with deportation, but then my dad has to wait another two months. That’s putting emotional stress on us for no reason,” he said.
Celal said the prospect of being sent back to Turkey carries heavy stakes for the family’s youngest children and for his own safety. The younger children do not speak Turkish, one child is autistic and needs help available in the United States, and Celal said, “I am in opposition to the Turkish government. If they deport me, I am going to get very big problems.”
“I am in opposition to the Turkish government. If they deport me, I am going to get very big problems.”
Muhammed said the family has tried to keep the restaurant running while pushing forward in court with the same community that rallied around Jersey Kebab from the start. “We’re kind of fighting for our right to stay in the country. while still having amazing support from the community behind us. So we’re all in it together,” he said.
The family has planned a post-Ramadan reopening and community meal tied to Eid al-Fitr, turning the next milestone at the restaurant into another public moment of support. Emine, speaking through Celal’s translation, said of the response after the detention: “[I] didn’t expect that kind of reaction. She touched people’s hearts.”
Community Rally Boosts Jersey Kebab Business in Haddon Township Amid Deportation Threat
The Emanet family, owners of Jersey Kebab in South Jersey, is fighting to stay in the U.S. after being detained by immigration authorities. Following an intense community rally and crowdfunding success, the family expanded their restaurant. However, they face significant legal hurdles, including separate deportation hearings and fears of political persecution if returned to Turkey, while their supporters advocate for a path to citizenship.
