ICE detains New York Chinese restaurant owner of 20+ years in community; supporters demand his release
A petition demanding the release of Dian Zhao Lin, detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is gaining support in Mount Morris, Livingston County, where community members say the restaurant owner has lived among them for more than two decades.
Supporters are urging ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to release Lin while his immigration case proceeds through the legal system. "For more than 20 years, Mr. Lin has called Mount Morris home," the petition states. "He has raised his family here, operated a successful business, contributed to our local economy, and been part of the community we all share."
The Lin family has operated the Mun Yuen Chinese restaurant in Mount Morris since 2005. The village's mayor, Kelly Bacon, voiced support for the family in a written statement and on her Facebook page, describing the couple as hardworking, kind, and generous neighbors who raised their children in the community and whose restaurant has been a cherished part of local commerce for years.
DHS said Lin was apprehended Tuesday during an immigration enforcement operation in Mount Morris and described him as a Chinese national, also known as Sin Zhao Ling, who entered the United States illegally in 1998. According to the agency, an immigration judge ordered his removal in 1999 and the Board of Immigration Appeals denied a motion to reopen his case in July 2023. "To be clear: work authorization or a pending application do not confer legal status in the United States," the agency said.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said Thursday evening that she had spoken with DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin about Lin's detention and about the case of German Machado Guillen, a Venezuelan-born SUNY Brockport employee taken into ICE custody the previous week. "I want their families to know that I'm doing everything in my power to bring their loved ones home," Hochul said.
Photo: Archivo A Lo Claro
Source: Democrat and Chronicle