Award-Winning Boston Restaurant Devastated After ICE Detains Key Employee

Cecelia Lizotte, a James Beard Award-nominated chef and U.S. citizen, has struggled to keep her celebrated Nigerian restaurant Suya Joint open after ICE detained her brother Paul Dama, the restaurant's manager. Dama, a Nigerian immigrant who fled kidnapping by Boko Haram and applied for asylum in 2020, was arrested on his way to church in June 2025. He was held for months before a judge granted him asylum. Mother Jones and Reveal investigate the cascading impact on families and businesses when workers are suddenly taken by ICE.