Trump administration officials say a Chinese restaurant owner arrested by federal agents in Livingston County had been ordered removed from the U.S. nearly 27 years ago.
Video posted to social media and shared with 13WHAM shows Dian Zhao Lin being detained and placed into a vehicle by two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
Lin’s daughter said the arrest happened Tuesday while her parents, who immigrated from China, were walking to the restaurant in Mount Morris that they have owned for more than 20 years.
BACKGROUND: Owner of Chinese restaurant taken into ICE custody in Livingston County
In a statement Thursday, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson identified the man as Sin Zhao Ling, who was arrested during a targeted enforcement operation.
Ling illegally entered the country in 1998 and was released into the country by the Clinton administration. He was ordered removed by an immigration judge on November 29, 1999. On July 26, 2023, the Board of Immigration Appeals denied his motion to reopen his case, and he will remain in ICE custody pending removal after living illegally in the U.S. for nearly three decades.To be clear: work authorization or a pending application do not confer legal status in the United States.
Also in a statement Thursday, an ICE spokesperson identified the man as Sin Di Ling and said he will remain in ICE custody pending removal.
Ling entered the United States of America at an unknown place, on an unknown date. An immigration judge ordered Ling removed in 1999. He has enjoyed the benefits of living and working (illegally) in the U.S. for more than 25 years.
Lin’s wife has kept the restaurant open since his arrest and has been running it herself. Community members have started a petition calling for Lin to be released from custody.
