The family behind a celebrated West African restaurant in Boston is considering shuttering the eatery as they continue to deal with the detainment of their restaurant manager by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Paul Dama — who works at Suya Joint restaurant in both Roxbury and Providence — was arrested by ICE on his way to church, his family member, Vanessa Lizotte, wrote on a GoFundMe campaign page that’s raising money to help pay for his legal fees.
Dama, 46, “has not been given a clear explanation for his detention” and does not know what charges he is facing, according to a pop-up message on the restaurant’s website. ICE did not respond to a request for comment on his case Thursday afternoon, but its detainment records show that he is being held at the Strafford County jail in New Hampshire, which contracts with ICE to hold detainees.
“This sudden and painful event has shaken our family to the core, and we are currently navigating both emotional and legal challenges surrounding his detention,” Lizotte wrote. “Because of this, we are taking time to reflect and reassess what comes next for Suya Joint. While we are not closing at this time, we are seriously considering what’s best for our team, our mission, and our family.”
Suya Joint’s story
Dama’s sister, Cecelia Lizotte, is the genius behind Suya Joint, The Boston Globe reported. Born and raised in Nigeria, she opened the first iteration of the restaurant in 2012 in Roslindale and has worked as both its owner and head chef ever since.
Suya Joint, whose cuisine and culture were inspired by Lizotte’s grandmother’s restaurant in Nigeria, relocated to Roxbury four years later and opened a second location in Providence last year, the Globe reported. The restaurant has seen significant success in the more than a dozen years it’s been in business.
Last year, Lizotte was nominated for the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Northeast category. This year, Suya Joint won Boston Magazine’s Best Neighborhood Restaurant for Roxbury and was one of the few dozen restaurants to make Eater’s list of best Boston restaurants.
Dama immigrated to the U.S. to be with his sister and her family in 2019, the Globe reported. He is normally responsible for overseeing operations at the restaurant’s Nubian Square location.
“Paul has been a vital part of the restaurant, serving in both Boston and Providence whenever and wherever he is needed. His work ethic, calm nature, and strong moral compass help define the culture of our business,” Vanessa Lizotte wrote on the campaign page.
Paul Dama’s story
Dama previously applied for asylum in the U.S., and his case is still making its way through the court system, his sister told the Globe. He has legal authorization to work in the country, she said.
Despite this, ICE officers pulled Dama over as he drove to church in Brockton on Father’s Day and ultimately arrested him, his sister told the Globe. He had his first hearing in front of an immigration judge Thursday morning, and his lawyer instructed him to reapply for asylum before his next court date on July 3, Vanessa Lizotte wrote on the campaign page.
“The trauma of this separation is unbearable. Paul is experiencing deep emotional distress in detention, and our Suya Joint family is suffering beyond words,” the message on Suya Joint’s website reads. “As a tight-knit team and family business, we’ve always leaned on each other through every challenge. Now, being forced apart like this is tearing through the heart of our home and community.”
In addition to working at Suya Joint, Dama was also employed at a local care home, the Globe reported. His job there entailed attending to five men with developmental disabilities.
“Paul treats the men he serves with full respect and dignity,” his supervisor at the home, Catherine Conrade, wrote in a testimonial for the campaign page. “He offers patience and kindness when he needs to assist in personal care and activities of daily living, but he also engages the men around their preferences in all aspects of life and is instrumental in ensuring their participation in the social/recreational activities of their choosing.”
Dama is college educated, fluent in English and is active in his local Catholic church, his brother-in-law, Jeffery Lizotte, wrote in another testimonial. Lizotte described his brother-in-law as being “proud to be a contributing member” of society and someone who “has done his proper due diligence in the process of trying to become a U.S. citizen.”
“He tries his best every day to build a better future for himself and is a positive influence on everyone he knows,” Lizotte wrote of Dama.
