A popular South Jersey restaurant is on the move eight months after the owner and his wife were detained by ICE.
In a post on Facebook, Jersey Kebab announced that their final day in Haddon Township will be this Sunday, Oct. 26 before they reopen in Collingswood.
The new location is at the old Pop Shop spot at 729 Haddon Avenue, according to the posted sign.
The move comes months after the owner and his wife were detained by ICE agents during a raid at the restaurant on Feb. 25, 2025.
Jersey Kebab owners arrested by ICE
On Tuesday, Feb. 25, ICE officers raided Jersey Kebab on 150 Haddon Avenue in Haddon Township, New Jersey, and arrested the restaurant’s owners, Emine and Celal Emanet, according to the couple’s son, Muhammed Emanet.
Immigration attorney Joseph Best said he’s been working with the couple for years. He told NBC10 the couple originally came to America from Turkey on visas nearly two decades ago but fell out of status and have been working to obtain it.
“I was shocked and my heart was getting crushed,” Celal Emanet told NBC10 on Tuesday. “I was so much nervous. But I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t do anything wrong in my life.”
While Celal Emanet was released from custody with an ankle monitor, Emine Emanet remained in custody at an ICE detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, for two weeks.
During Emine Emanet’s detainment, the couple received support from both New Jersey leaders as well as community members. During a press conference in late February after their arrest, Haddon Township Mayor Randall Teague described the couple’s restaurant as a “pillar” in the community.
The restaurant stayed closed for more than a month during the turmoil but eventually reopened on April 1.
Celal Emanet appeared in front of an immigration judge on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at a federal courthouse in Newark, New Jersey. His case was pushed back another four years, an issue that immigration groups say is caused by a lack of immigration judges.
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