ICE bust shuts Bronx food pantry serving thousands
By David Greene
Bronx Voice
October 28, 2026
BRONX, NY - Aleksander “Alek” Nilaj, 54, founder and president of the American Albanian Open Hand Association and Food Pantry (AAOHA) at 821 Lydig Avenue, was picked up by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents as he apparently appeared at his regularly scheduled court appearance at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan on Monday, October 12.
At the monthly meeting of the Morris Park Community Association (MPCA) on Bronxdale Avenue on Wednesday, October 14, an unknown male member told residents, “A dear member of our community who, I’m not going to say his name out of respect for his family, was detained” by ICE agents. The member concluded, “Our hearts and prayers go to him and hopefully he’ll soon be released from ICE custody. He’s a special member of the Albanian community in the Bronx. He’s helped a lot of various people, not just from the Albanian community.”
DHS spokesperson issued the following statement: “On October 13, 2026, ICE arrested Aleksander Nilaj, an illegal alien from Albania. He legally entered the U.S. on a temporary basis on October 1, 2006, and illegally overstayed his lawful admittance in violation of our laws. 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.
“We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $3,000 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”
A Facebook post on October 14 by Lilyanna Pekic asked community residents to visit the pantry on Thursday, October 15, to sign a petition in hopes that the decision can be reversed.
Staceyann Deleon replied to the post stating, “He has helped so many people. I hope anyone who can help him will step up and help him now.” Sal Russo responded, “Why is he in detention? He has political influence; I don’t get it. Great guy.”
At the October 15 gathering at the pantry, as a large group of supporters led by pastor Irene Estrada was inside praying for Nilaj, Saimir Burgaj, chairman of AAOHA, was on the sidewalk when he told the Bronx Voice, “At this point we’re trying very hard but it’s tough, it’s a very tough position. We have legal representation through a not-for-profit organization. Yes, he does have legal representation at this point.”
According to Burgaj, Nilaj arrived in the U.S. in 2006 and founded his organization in 2008. Burgaj continued, “He’s been a beacon of hope for families in need in the Bronx and basically offered his hand to help so many needy families in the community. And he has touched thousands, if not tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of lives.”
Burgaj explained that during the COVID pandemic the Bronx food pantry served 10,000 people a week; most recently they had been serving between 7,000 and 8,000 people each month. Asked if the pantry could survive without Nilaj, Burgaj replied, “It’s doubtful we’ll survive because he was the one. He was the drive, the heart and soul of this organization and without him Open Hand will have to close its doors.” AAOHA also delivered food to P.S. 108 on Neill Avenue once a month.
On Saturday, October 17, a day after his office on East Fordham Road received a suspicious envelope with a harmless white powder that shut down his office for several hours, Congressman Ritchie Torres visited Nilaj at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark, New Jersey. In a video posted to Instagram, Torres said, “I’m right outside Delaney Hall where I visited my friend Aleksander Nilaj, whom I’ve known for more than two decades as a community leader in the Bronx.”
Torres concluded, “Donald Trump’s cruel policy of mass deportation is tearing communities and families apart. Detaining a man who has dedicated his life feeding those in need is not justice, it’s cruelty.”
In response to Torres’ video, “dd13yd” asked, “If you’ve known him for all these years, why did you not help him fast track (Nilaj’s) citizenship or at least residency?” The response continued, “Our country told people (that) they could stay here illegally without penalty but never offered them a way towards citizenship or residency.”
Torres did not respond to the question.
Pelham Parkway residents who need food assistance and depended on AAOHA Food Pantry can visit the MPCA at 1824 Bronxdale Avenue every Thursday between 1–3 p.m. Folks in need can also visit this online food pantry directory for food assistance at: https://map.thefoodpantries.org.
Meanwhile, this publication had been monitoring a second incident involving a Kingsbridge Heights man from the Dominican Republic who was also detained as he checked in at 26 Federal Plaza. The family did not want publicity, and the man was sent to Africa. The man’s family had sent him money for a plane ticket, and he has arrived back in his native Dominican Republic.
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