West Hartford businessman detained by ICE released, Larson and Blumenthal say
Seyo Cecunjanin, a West Hartford business owner detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has been released from custody, U.S. Rep. John Larson and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said.
In a statement, Larson said he got a call from Cecunjanin Thursday night informing him he was home in West Hartford.
"Our community sent a powerful message: we will not stand by as ICE ambushes and abducts our valued community members," Larson said in a post on social media. "Seyo is back where he belongs — with his family."
DHS did not comment on the reports of Cecunjanin's release. It was not immediately clear when and where he was released.
He was apprehended by immigration authorities in a Dunkin' parking lot in West Hartford on June 20, his son, Emir Cecunjanin, said at a press conference Monday. He said he and his father were surrounded by five unmarked cars during the incident.
"They didn’t ask for his name or any identification, and even though I was pleading with the officers, it came to no avail, and they just took him away," Emir Cecunjanin said earlier this week.
Cecunjanin owns Portobello, a West Hartford restaurant, along with a laundry business.
A DHS spokesperson said Seyo Cecunjanin was previously convicted of driving under the influence. He entered the U.S. without legal status in 1997 and was ordered to leave the country. He traveled to Serbia in 2024 and returned two weeks later and was "released" back into the U.S., despite the previous order of removal, DHS said.
"Cecunjanin has made a mockery of our immigration laws on several occasions for more than two decades. DHS is working rapidly and overtime to remove aliens like this from our streets and to their final destination—home," the DHS spokesperson said. "Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in our country."
Blumenthal and Larson demanded Cecunjanin be released during the news conference and in a letter to DHS.
"Seyo’s release is a magnificent start to the July 4th celebration," Blumenthal said in a statement. "So proud of all the community who rallied around Seyo as Congressman Larson and I fought for his release. Our letters, protests, and work behind the scenes vindicated his cause."
He relayed that Emir Cecunjanin said his father is "doing great."
“His courage and faith are a lesson to all of us on this 250th national birthday. I look forward to welcoming him home," Blumenthal said. "ICE seizing and detaining him was cruel and unconscionable. He was never a flight risk, or a danger to anyone. I’ll support his efforts to gain permanent legal status and more."
Cecunjanin has lived in the U.S. for nearly three decades after emigrating from Montenegro, officials said. He is not a citizen but appears to have a pending application for permanent legal residence, Blumenthal said.