One year after ICE raid, Jersey Kebab owners remain optimistic with immigration cases in limbo
Emine and Celal Emanet feel most at home in the kitchen, sharing their family recipes with customers and neighbors, while also focusing on their future.
"Everything has changed after ICE arrested us," Celal Emanet said. "We had tough days in that time."
Standing in a new location on Haddon Avenue in Collingswood, the owners of Jersey Kebab said they try not to think about being arrested by federal agents last year. Their oldest son, Muhammed, now calls it a moment of growth.
"It was the first time in my life that I was faced with the situation where I didn't have my parents by my side, where I was truly the one in charge of our family," Muhammed Emanet said.
On Feb. 25, 2025, Emine and Celal were detained during an immigration raid at their former restaurant location in Haddon Township.
It's one of the first cases that put the issue of immigration in the spotlight in the Philadelphia area.
Celal Emanet was released that same day, but Emine Emanet spent two weeks in a detention center in North Jersey before being released.
"Thank God she recovered, she's very happy, busy, she's the main person in the restaurant," Celal Emanet said.
The couple is from Turkey and came to the United States in 2008 on religious work visas. They said their green card status has been pending since 2016.
The arrests caused an uproar in the community, and many neighbors and customers posted messages of support on the windows at their restaurant. They helped welcome Emine Emanet home.
"They always come in and ask, 'How are your parents doing, how are the court cases?'" Muhammed Emanet said.
Jersey Kebab was open in Haddon Township for five years, but the owners said their lease expired and they couldn't come to an agreement with the landlord.
In December, they opened about a mile away and took over the restaurant space that was most recently the Stardust Cafe. Before that, it was the Pop Shop.
One year later and the couple remains in immigration limbo. Emine Emanet's next immigration hearing was postponed to 2027. But Celal Emanet said he is due in court next week. They both remain optimistic and say there's no place they'd rather be.
"That's why I want to stay here all the time, end of my life, because it's my home," Celal Emanet said.