The owners of a New Jersey restaurant held a community celebration and are set to officially reopen their business more than a month after they were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

On Sunday, March 30, 2025, Emine and Celal Emanet held a celebration in Haddon Township, New Jersey, and served food to show their gratitude for their community’s support and to also mark the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month.

“We are a small business,” Emine Emanet said. “You know everywhere is small. But we have a big heart for all of everybody.”

 The couple’s restaurant, Jersey Kebab, officially reopens on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.

“I’ve been missing them,” Steve Barton, a Haddon Township resident, told NBC10. “They’ve been sorely missed throughout this entire ordeal.”

The restaurant – located on 150 Haddon Avenue – has been closed since Feb. 25, 2025, when ICE officers raided the business and arrested Emine and Celal Emanet.  An ICE spokesperson said the two Turkish citizens were in the United States illegally. 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.

Immigration attorney Joseph Best told NBC10 the couple moved to the United States from Turkey in 2008 on a religious visa.  According to Camden County officials, Celal Emanet applied for a green card before the visa expired. Emanet said his application was denied three times and the couple has been in limbo since 2016.

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.

“We consider this situation maybe 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,” Mayor Teague said. “They came in here legally and they’re trying to stay here legally.”

Teague also said the family has participated in Toys for Tots drives and organized food drives that have “left a lasting impact” on the area.

The couple’s arrest occurred amid a nationwide push from President Donald Trump’s administration to detain immigrants who entered the United States without the proper documents.

“This family is a family that embodies the very best of Camden County. And now they’re torn apart by this broken immigration system,” Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said in February. “It is time to stand up for good people. It is time to stand up for humanity. These folks do not deserve this. These folks do not deserve this. Fix the immigration system and let’s fix it now.”

Haddon Township residents also donated more than $327,000 to a GoFundMe in support of the family.

On Tuesday, March 11, a judge set a $7500 bond for Emine Emanet’s release. She was released and reunited with her family the next day after the nonprofit Envision Freedom Fund successfully posted the bond.

While the family is back in business, their legal battle continues.

“We have to prove ourselves,” Celal Emanet said on Sunday. “We are here. We have business. We’re regular people. We don’t have a criminal record. We pay our taxes so I hope they are going to accept it.”

Community members who attended Sunday’s celebration said they will continue to support them.

“They never let us down,” Barton said. “We are not going to let them down.”

The couple’s next court date is scheduled for the end of May 2025.

Retiring in the Garden State does have it perks.

According to the yearly report from Seniorly, Best of Senior Living Awards for 2025, New Jersey has the second best senior living facilities across the country and 19 award-winning facilities. The Garden State also has the top two best retirement communities in the Northeast.

The online marketplace for senior living communities analyzed data from 500,000 online reviews, across 60,000 facilities across six categories: cleanliness, dining services, staff ratings, value, care services and overall resident satisfaction. Only 336 facilities were chosen, according to the report.

To qualify for the award, communities must be in the top 5% of their consumer sentiment ratings, be free of serious licensing violations for the last 36 months and have no evidence of negative media coverage for the last 24 months.

New Jersey was recognized on three lists. Here are the findings:

Best Senior Living Facility

New Jersey’s Arbor Terrace Mount Laurel in Burlington Country lands in the No. 2 spot on the list. The facility offers Memory Care and cost for this community starts at $5,500.

“Arbor Terrace Mount Laurel offers a harmonious blend of expert care and vibrant community life, designed to enhance the well-being of its residents. With a focus on personalized care, the community provides an environment where residents can thrive, supported by a team that understands the importance of deep connections,” the website reads.

Best Senior Living Facility: Northeast Region

According to the report, New Jersey also has two of the best senior living facilities in the Northeast Region.

1. Arbor Terrace Mount Laurel in Mount Laurel
2. Brandywine Living Monarch at Livingston

Top states with award-winning facilities

These communities are vital to our senior living infrastructure and often provide high-quality care at exceptional value, said Seniorly.

• California
• Texas
• Florida
• Arizona
• Washington
• New Jersey
• Georgia
• New York
• Illinois
• Michigan

Public health programs funded by the federal government were ordered to shut down on Monday after the Trump Administration pulled back their subsidies.

The New Jersey Department of Health issued a stop work notice late yesterday.

On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a stop work order cancelling about $11 billion in grant agreements across the U.S.    All 21 counties receive funding under these grants, which go to county, municipal and regional health departments across New Jersey.

“The disruptive impacts created by the Trump Administration ripping away $350 million in congressionally-approved federal funding for the New Jersey Department of Health and the New Jersey Department of Human Services endanger critical public health programs in communities across New Jersey,” said Tyler Jones, a spokesman for Gov. Phil Murphy.  “Our office shares our partners’ frustration over the unnecessary confusion and uncertainty for frontline public health work resulting from the Trump Administration’s actions.

No guidance has been sent to recipients, but it could mean a permanent end of some heath services and layoffs.

Linda Brown, the executive director of the New Jersey Association of County and City Health Officials, said on Friday she was confident that their Enhancing Local Public Health Infrastructure and Sustaining Local Public Health Infrastructure grants would be affected and that costs incurred after March 28 would not be reimbursed.

“Being very frank, we know far less than we do.  I want to identify that the impacts of this stop work order will have profound impacts on NJACCHO programming, operation and staff,” Brown said.  “We have gotten inconsistent communication shared with the organization from some local health agencies from different NJDOH sources.  There is still much we need to determine.”

Jones said the Murphy Administration is “committed to fighting these illegal clawbacks and is working tirelessly to get more information to share with each impacted organization and resident.”

“Our priority remains protecting public health,” Jones stated.

The chair of the Assembly Health Committee, Carol Murphy, said she was “exploring all options to fight back and protect our residents.”

“The reckless and irresponsible stop work order issued by the federal government immediately removes $350 million in federally approved funding for the State of New Jersey, jeopardizing the public health of our residents,” she said.  “The dire consequences will be immediate, as mass layoffs devastate healthcare services and outcomes. The disruptive actions of the Trump Administration are harmful.”