Bronx food pantry that serves up to 8,000 people a month stops handing out food after ICE detains its founder

A food pantry in the Bronx's Pelham Parkway neighborhood that serves thousands of families a month has gone quiet since federal immigration agents detained its founder after a routine court appearance last week.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Aleksander "Alex" Nilaj, founder and president of the Open Hand Association Food Pantry at 821 Lydig Ave., on Monday, Oct. 13, the Department of Homeland Security told News 12. He was taken into custody at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan during an immigration hearing, ABC7 reported.

The pantry is on pause

Open Hand serves between 7,000 and 8,000 people a month, according to News 12; residents line up on Thursday and Saturday mornings for fresh produce and staples, ABC7 said. Pantry volunteers told News 12 they will not distribute food without Nilaj because they cannot handle the operation without him, and that the pantry will close indefinitely if he does not return.

"What he did for this community for the past 14 years. He made sure that people in need had food on their tables," Saimir Burgaj, the pantry's chairman, told News 12. Volunteers and neighbors held a rally and petition drive on Lydig Avenue last Thursday, Oct. 15.

What DHS says

DHS describes Nilaj as an Albanian national who entered the U.S. legally on a temporary basis on Oct. 1, 2006, and overstayed. "He received due process and was ordered removed by an immigration judge on July 22, 2008. This administration will not ignore the rule of law," the agency said in a statement to News 12 and ABC7. ABC7 reported he is not accused of any offense other than the immigration violation.

Where he is now

Nilaj is being held at Delaney Hall, the ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey, according to News 12. Rep. Ritchie Torres, who represents the Bronx, said he visited him there to make sure he receives medical care and to demand his release. "He's one of us," Torres told ABC7. Nilaj's lawyer is filing a habeas petition seeking his release, and he has a wife and children, ABC7 reported. NBC New York also reported on the arrest after his court date.