The harsh policies of the Trump administration against migrants have separated Cemal and Emine Emanet, residents of New Jersey, U.S. since 2008, but the couple has received an outpouring of sympathy from the local community who embraced them.
Cemal was released with an ankle monitor slapped on him, while his wife remains in custody and his kebab shop in Haddon Township, Camden County of the state was shut down.
Cemal Emanet says they were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents “for no reason.” “My lawyer says we wouldn’t be part of deportations Trump promised to migrants involved in crimes,” he said.
The family has been living in New Jersey since 2008 with pending approval for their Green Card applications. The ICE officials raided their home and kebab shop on Feb. 25 and they were taken to a detention center for irregular migrants. Cemal was released one day later and recounted to Anadolu Agency (AA) what happened to the couple. “What we have been through is probably an outcome of Trump and his crew’s arbitrary practices,” he said.
He said he was pursuing doctoral studies in the United States and applied for a Green Card as he was also working at a religious institution in New Jersey nine years ago. “My application has neither been approved or rejected,” he added.
Recalling his conversation with his lawyer before Trump took office after promising to deport migrants, Emanet said his lawyer told him that they wouldn’t be deported. So, they were surprised when they saw officers “with big guns” surrounding their home. Emanet believes that they were detained on a tip-off.
The couple’s son Muhammet said police did not tell them anything about the detention and said his mother was still being held without charges.
The kebab shop of the couple was a popular place in the area and soon, locals flocked to the place to demonstrate their support for the Emanets. Haddon residents placed stickers containing messages of support for the family on the windows of the closed establishment. Residents say the couple was beloved in the area, especially for their generosity, and for offering free food to the homeless and disadvantaged people. The Haddon Township residents launched a fundraiser for the family which already exceeded $200,000.
“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 Feb. 27, according to U.S. media outlets.
“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,” he was quoted.
“We consider this situation may be 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,” Haddon Township Mayor Randall Mayor Teague was quoted saying by the media. “They came in here legally and they’re trying to stay here legally.”
Trump returned to the White House in January promising to expel "millions and millions" of undocumented migrants, mostly from Latin America. Trump's moves included implementing a sweeping ban on asylum at the border and surging military troops to assist border security. The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Trump administration over the ban earlier this month, arguing it violated U.S. asylum law and international treaties.
The Trump administration also struck new agreements with Mexico and Central American countries to accept U.S. deportees from other nations and has sent some migrants to a camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
