WEST HARTFORD, CT — A West Hartford resident and immigrant who fled a brutal European dictator in the 1990s was whisked away by federal agents of his home country for nearly three decades last week, prompting local outrage Monday for the plight of the prominent West Hartford businessman and restaurateur.
Seyo Cecunjanin, who hails from the former Yugoslavia, was "abducted" by federal agents on June 20 and taken away to a Rhode Island detention facility, according to a local congressman.
U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-West Hartford, posted a video Sunday criticizing federal immigration authorities after the West Hartford business owner was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents outside a Dunkin' restaurant in West Hartford.
He called the arrest "heartbreaking" and urged an end to what he described as "needless apprehension."
Larson posted a video Sunday evening from outside the Dunkin' location where he said the incident occurred one week earlier.
Appearing alongside him was Emir Cecunjanin, the son of the detained man..
According to Larson, Seyo Cecunjanin had just exited the Dunkin' and was walking to his vehicle when ICE agents stopped him.
Larson said five vehicles surrounded Cecunjanin, blocked his car, and took him away in handcuffs at gunpoint to Rhode Island.
"No local police. No state police. No local officials were informed at all. This is a continuation of what has happened in East Hartford, in Newington, and what's happening in Southington," Larson said in the video. "It can happen anywhere and to anyone."
Larson said Cecunjanin is the owner of a local restaurant and a local laundromat, adding he is "everything we want out of an American citizen, who not only employs people but has done all the right things."
"It's heartbreaking to see what's going on here," Larson said. "And action has to be taken. We have to stop this."
He also called on ICE to halt what he described as the "needless apprehension" of people who are "doing the right thing."
Emir Cecunjanin said the incident occurred that Saturday morning while he and his father were leaving the Dunkin' after picking up coffee and bagels.
According to Emir Cecunjanin, ICE agents displayed firearms during the encounter.
"I tried pleading with the officers, but to no avail," he said. "They didn't care about anything I was saying, and they took him away with the snap of a finger.
"This is not right. My father is not a criminal. He is a hard-working man, and we try to give back to the community," he added.
According to "West Hartford Book," a West Hartford online business directory, Seyo Cecunjanin owns Portobello Restaurant, an Italian restaurant at 156 Park Road, and The Laundry Room on the Ave., a dry cleaning and wash-and-fold business at 772 Farmington Ave.
West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor, a Democrat, called Seyo Cecenjanin's situation "heartbreaking" and "disturbing."
“After nearly 30 years in the United States, a decade as a West Hartford resident, and years spent building businesses, creating jobs, raising a family, and pursuing lawful permanent residency through the legal process, his abrupt detention serves neither justice nor our community," she said in a statement to Patch.
"Enforcement should never come at the expense of fairness or due process. I urge federal authorities to release Mr. Cecunjanin so he can continue pursuing the legal status for which he has already applied while remaining with his family and the employees who depend on him."
The West Hartford Democratic Town Committee ripped ICE for what it called the "abduction" of Seya Cecunjanin.
"We are deeply disturbed and outraged by the abduction of Seyo Cecunjanin, a beloved member of our West Hartford community, by federal ICE agents last week. Mr. Cecunjanin is a neighbor, a business owner, a father, and a pillar of this community," wrote Democrats in a statement signed by Peter Andrews, party chairman, and Megan Wallett, vice chairperson.
"He has spent nearly 30 years in this country doing everything right: raising a family, building businesses, and actively pursuing lawful permanent residency through the proper channels."
Monday afternoon, West Hartford's state legislative delegation also issued a joint statement supporting Cecunjanin and urging federal officials to release him while his immigration proceedings continue.
State Reps. Kate Farrar, Tammy Exum, Jillian Gilchrest, Jimmy Sanchez and Bobby Gibson, along with state Sen. Derek Slap, said they were "deeply troubled" by the detention and the fear it has created among immigrant families across Connecticut.
The lawmakers said Cecunjanin's detention affects not only his wife and three sons, but also employees at his businesses and customers who know him as a local entrepreneur.
They noted that he came to the United States nearly three decades ago after fleeing war in Montenegro (part of the former Yugoslavia), built businesses in West Hartford, and has a pending application for lawful permanent residency.
The delegation called for Cecunjanin's release while his immigration case proceeds, saying he should be allowed to return to his family, support his employees and continue operating his businesses.
The lawmakers also urged federal authorities to end enforcement actions they said create fear in local communities.
All lawmakers signing the statement are Democrats.
Patch has reached out to the West Hartford Republican Town Committee, which on Tuesday afternoon, July 30, posted a message supporting ICE and decrying the Democrats' response to the incident.
Patch has contacted ICE's media relations office seeking comment on the West Hartford resident's detention and has not received a response.
'A pillar of the community'
Larson and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal joined Cantor, community advocates and residents outside West Hartford Town Hall on Monday to call for the release of Cecunjanin.
During the press conference, Larson and others outlined additional details about Cecunjanin's past and what he fled in the 1990s.
Larson's office said Cecunjanin has lived in the United States since 1997 after fleeing the former Yugoslavia during the conflict associated with Slobodan Milošević's government.
Milošević was a Serbian and Yugoslav politician who served as President of Serbia (1989–1997) and President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1997–2000).
His fiercely nationalistic policies directly contributed to the violent breakup of Yugoslavia and the Yugoslav Wars, with the late 1990s civil war in that region Europe's most bloody war since World War II at the time.
Larson said Cecunjanin is legally authorized to work in the United States, owns a restaurant and a dry-cleaning business in West Hartford, and has been pursuing lawful permanent resident status.
Monday in West Hartford, Larson criticized the manner of the arrest and called for Cecunjanin's release.
"Seyo has been a pillar of the community—raising a family, starting two businesses, and giving back to others—yet that didn't stop armed ICE agents from pulling up in unmarked vans with guns drawn, and handcuffing Seyo in front of his children on Park Road last week," Larson said.
Larson also said similar ICE operations have occurred in other Connecticut communities, including Newington, Southington and East Hartford, and argued that local officials have not been informed in advance of enforcement actions.
Blumenthal said Cecunjanin should be released while his immigration case proceeds.
"Seyo has been here for almost 30 years and all he wants to do is work hard, raise his family and contribute to his community. He must be released immediately, as he is as low a risk as you can possibly imagine," Blumenthal said.
He also criticized ICE's enforcement practices, stating that the agency should obtain warrants before making arrests and avoid what he described as overly aggressive detention tactics.
Cantor called the arrest "a shocking display of federal overreach" and said it had unsettled the community.
"Every person on American soil has the right to due process and basic human dignity, and what took place on Park Road that morning appeared to honor neither," Cantor said. She thanked Larson for advocating on Cecunjanin's behalf and called for "answers, accountability, and Seyo's swift release," she said.
Larson's office said members of Connecticut's congressional delegation, along with Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, have urged ICE leadership to release Cecunjanin from custody.
The congressman also linked the case to other recent ICE arrests in Connecticut involving immigrants in Newington, Southington, Hamden, and East Hartford.
Larson reiterated his opposition to ICE, noting he has previously called for the agency to be disbanded and voted against recent federal legislation that would provide additional funding for ICE and the U.S. Border Patrol, arguing it lacked sufficient oversight and accountability.
From July 1: 'West Hartford GOP Defends ICE After Dems Condemn Restaurateur's Detention'
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