Manager of award-winning Boston restaurant detained by ICE

The manager of Suya Joint, an award-winning West African restaurant in Roxbury, was recently detained by federal immigration officials.

His family members say they don’t know why Paul Dama was detained or if there are any charges being brought against him. Amid the stress, they are wondering if they should temporarily close the restaurant.

Dama, a Nigerian immigrant, was on his way to church on June 15 when he was stopped by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and taken into custody. Cecelia Lizotte, chef and owner of the restaurant, said her brother called her from a restricted number that morning. He explained that he saw a car following him, so he pulled over.

“Like, three to four vans just came and barricaded him,” she said.

Dama was taken to the ICE processing center in Burlington, then sent to the Strafford County Jail in Dover, New Hampshire, according to ICE’s online detainee locator.

“He’s not a violent criminal,” said Abeba Attles, his immigration attorney. “He’s hardworking. He’s a good guy. And he hasn’t been ordered removed.”

Attles said Dama’s work authorization and legal paperwork was up-to-date and in good standing. She said he was charged with DUI a year ago, and followed all requirements of that.

“He did everything that they asked him to do. He complied — he did the community service, the programs that he needed to attend,” she said. “So that shouldn’t be a reason to pick him up.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said agents arrested Dama because he has been living in the country illegally since his visitor visa expired in 2019. Two DUI convictions on Dama’s record were also noted by ICE Boston spokesman James Covington.

In 2018, Dama was kidnapped and tortured by the notorious Boko Haram, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. He was released only after his family paid the ransom, and fled the country.

Dama immigrated to the United States in 2019, joining Lizotte, who had been here for 20 years and is a U.S. citizen. In addition to working at Suya Joint, Dama also works as a personal care attendant in a group home for elderly adults with disabilities.

He has an asylum application pending, is married to a U.S. citizen, and was beginning the process to apply for a green card. He spoke to the BBC about his ordeal for a documentary, and fears retribution if he were to return to Nigeria.

His first hearing was June 26, and his bail hearing is July 3, according to the family. A fundraiser for his legal fees has so far collected over $13,000.

Cecelia Lizotte visited the Dover jail to deliver her brother’s blood pressure medication, but wasn’t allowed to see him.

“I just get very, very emotional,” she said through tears. “Paul helps me a lot with the restaurant, both in Boston and Providence location — now it’s just like, it’s almost like I can’t do it.”

A Providence, Rhode Island, location recently opened and Dama assisted with both restaurants. Lizotte is considering shutting down both restaurants to focus on his case and the time it’s taking to file paperwork.

She said Dama makes everyone who comes into the restaurant feel at home.

“A lot of Nigerians, when they walk in there and they see Paul and they able to just, ‘Oh, how you do?’ just speak the Pidgin English. It makes them feel so comfortable, confident that ‘yes, we’re in the right establishment.’”

The last time Vanessa Lizotte saw her uncle was Saturday night [June 21], when he was working to fix the plumbing for one of the sinks at the restaurant, chatting about his Sunday church plans.

“I described him in his testament letter as like our jack-of-all trades. He just comes in and he does everything,” she said.

Vanessa Lizotte said Dama also has a gift for mediating situations.

“Sometimes we get some angry customers and whenever we send Uncle Paul over, he’s able to just kind of like fix it and, you know, come up with some sort of solution that works for everybody.”

Suya Joint was a semifinalist for the prestigious James Beard Award last year. The restaurant won a number of awards, including Best of Boston awards from Boston Magazine for several years in a row.

Suya Joint opened in Roslindale in 2011 and moved to Roxbury in 2016. The spot serves West African dishes like Jollof rice, which is served in a red bell pepper sauce, and Ofada Ayamase, a popular Nigerian stew with meats, peppers, onions, eggs and spices.

Sarah Betancourt is a bilingual reporter for GBH News.