Judge Rules Michigan Cafe Owner Won't Be Deported

HARBERT (AP) — A Michigan restaurant owner from Turkey who has been facing deportation for more than a decade will now be allowed to stay in the U.S.

Ibrahim Parlak learned Tuesday he was granted a deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture, an international law protecting refugees from being returned under threat of torture or death. An immigration judge ruled that Parlak's fear for his safety upon deportation to Turkey is well-founded.

The owner of Cafe Gulistan in Harbert was granted asylum in the U.S. in 1992 after being convicted in Turkey of supporting the Kurdish separatist movement. But immigration officials began efforts to deport him in 2004, saying he failed to disclose movement ties.

Parlak told the Herald-Palladium of St. Joseph that the ruling provides "only relief." He says it's "a good feeling to know justice has prevailed."