Opening a second location of a beloved restaurant would be stressful for any pair of restaurateurs, but doing so while one of the owners is suddenly locked up under a case of mistaken identity? That sounds more like a plot point from an ’80s TV show than real life.
Unfortunately, that was the reality for Ruperto and Emilio Vicens Marquez, brothers and co-owners of Emilio’s Kitchen, the famed Atlantic Highlands Mexican restaurant that recently opened its second location in Belmar.
Ruperto was headed to work on October 19, 2025, when he was accosted by ICE agents and, despite being legally permitted to live and work in the United States, arrested and detained at Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark for nearly a month.
“There were two cars following me,” Ruperto recalls. “They pulled me over. I showed them my ID, and they started looking for my information [in the system]. They asked me if I had been arrested in this country. I told them no, but they kept pushing like they wanted me to say that I had done something wrong. I showed them my work permit and they said, ‘You’re lying, so you are gonna come with us.’”
Fortunately, after weeks at the detention center and a great deal of outrage and financial support from the community, Ruperto was finally released—within 48 hours of the grand opening of Emilio’s Kitchen’s Belmar location.
Emilio’s Kitchen in Belmar Photo: Justin Borucki
It was a positive outcome for him, but the experience rattled him emotionally.
“It was hard, because at first, I didn’t know what was going to happen,” he says. “I saw a lot of people who had work permits being detained. It was crowded. In my room, there were 14 of us. There were people yelling and screaming all the time—it was scary.”
Unfortunately, Ruperto’s story has become all too common in New Jersey, resulting in growing concerns within an industry that relies on the hard work of many immigrants to thrive. “Working in restaurants is how an awful lot of immigrants get their start in this country, so I think the ICE actions against them are particularly cruel,” says Karen Schloss, co-founder of Diaz-Schloss Communications, a PR firm in Montclair that represents many restaurants in New Jersey.
“I have heard that it is harder to get kitchen staff because of concerns [over ICE raids]. And things are only going to get worse, because it seems pretty clear that the [Trump] administration is going to go after New York and New Jersey pretty hard with this,” she says.
The fear that has spread through the industry is palpable and real. In fact, just finding a restaurant owner or worker who was willing to talk openly and be identified for this story proved impossible, due to fear of retaliation.
“I am an immigrant. We come here to work hard and to make money and do things the right way, but we feel like criminals. I am a citizen and I feel like a criminal,” says one chef/owner of a popular Montclair restaurant, who asked not to be named.
“I am carrying my passport with me everywhere now. I carry my passport because I have an accent and they can ask me to prove if I am a citizen. I am that afraid.”
And it’s not just at their places of employment that these workers feel threatened. Due to the current methods of ICE agents and the climate of fear under the Trump administration, immigrants who once enjoyed a robust social life have now begun to think twice about nearly every move they make.
“It’s been affecting the whole industry. My own employees—they are not going out, not going to the bars, not going to the supermarkets. If they need food, they are ordering online. They try not to meet too many people. They used to have a social life, but not anymore. I am paying for my guys to take an Uber home after work because they are afraid to take the bus,” says the Montclair restaurant owner.
All of this raises the question, what can be done? According to New Jersey State Senator Vin Gopal (D-Long Branch), the answer is about knowing where to find support.
“What is happening across the country, and even here in our own county, is deeply troubling and has understandably created fear across many communities,” Gopal says. “While no one should have to live in constant anxiety, the best protection right now is knowledge.”
“Immigrant rights organizations across New Jersey are doing critical work educating people about their rights, including carrying proper identification, understanding what documentation ICE agents can and cannot demand, and knowing when individuals are legally required to respond. I strongly encourage workers and business owners to connect with trusted local immigrant-justice organizations that offer know-your-rights trainings and legal resources.”
It seems that for some, the American dream has turned into a nightmare. If immigrant restaurant workers keep getting locked up en masse, who is going to replace them?
“Nobody. I will have to close my business,” says the Montclair restaurant owner.
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