MOUNT LAUREL, NJ — Federal immigration officials shared why they took a South Jersey restaurant owner into custody on July 31.
Iemad Saifo, 65, who runs "Zena's American Mediterranean Cuisine" in Collingswood, was called in for what he thought was a routine check-in at an immigration office in Mount Laurel when he was then arrested.
In speaking to Patch, a spokesperson with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said that Saifo is a "criminal illegal alien from Syria" who will "continue to receive full due process."
According to the agency, he was convicted of witness tampering in a case from 2018 and is "unlawfully present in the U.S."
Saifo's family, along with advocacy groups like "Cooper River Indivisible," have been vocal online in their calls for his release and contend that he has been following all legal procedures to become a citizen.
"We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure," ICE said, before calling out the CBP Home App as a tool to regain admittance.
"The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now," the message to those targeted read.
Those who do not take advantage of the offer to return under "the right legal way" will be arrested and deported "without a chance to return," added ICE.
Saifo was taken to Newark's Delaney Hall after he was detained, the site of numerous inmate deaths and continued controversy over the conditions of the facility. READ MORE: NJ Lawmakers Clash Over Fate Of ICE Prison After 3 Detainee Deaths
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