Ari Ladino, the owner of Luana Rose Modestly, a Teaneck fashion shop specializing in custom and semi-custom gowns for simchas and special occasions, has been detained by ICE along with his mother, according to a report by the Jewish Link.

The Jewish Link reported that Ladino and his mother, who worked alongside him at the West Englewood Avenue store, suddenly disappeared from the shop, leaving customers unable to retrieve dresses ahead of upcoming simchas.

Store landlord Elie Y. Katz said he first became aware something was wrong when he received frantic calls from a woman whose daughter’s wedding dress was locked inside the shop and whose wedding was approaching. Katz met the woman at the store along with police and was able to retrieve the completed gown. He later helped another customer obtain her dress.

With packages piling up outside and neither Ladino nor his mother appearing at the store, Katz attempted to determine their whereabouts. Police also went to the address listed on Ladino’s driver’s license but found nobody there. Ladino and his mother are originally from Colombia, though Katz said he did not know their immigration status.

The following day, Katz received a call from a detention center and spoke briefly with Ladino, who confirmed that he was being held and said his mother had been transferred to a separate detention facility.

Ladino gave Katz permission to allow his cousin into the store and to provide access to customers who had dresses waiting for pickup. One customer who traveled from Westchester to collect a dress reportedly learned what had happened and immediately left a check to help Ladino.

According to the Jewish Link, Ladino also contacted a business partner and instructed her to retrieve his phone and prepare the store for a sale of its gowns in an effort to raise money for his legal defense.

Immigration attorney Michael Wildes, managing partner of Wildes & Weinberg and a former federal prosecutor, criticized the circumstances surrounding the detention, arguing that immigration enforcement policies were increasingly affecting local businesses and families.

“The president promised to rid us of hardened criminals, which no one would object to,” Wildes told the Jewish Link. “We find now that the administration’s policies are intruding on some of the finest families and businesses throughout our nation.”

The report did not provide details about the immigration status of Ladino or his mother, the circumstances that led ICE to detain them, or whether either faces any allegations beyond immigration-related issues.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)