Feds pause deportation of beloved Long Island bagel shop manager

His fate was put on ice.

The planned deportation of an undocumented Long Island bagel shop manager snatched up by federal agents last month has been paused — after the case sparked national outrage. 

Fernando Mejia, 41, scored a temporary reprieve last week, with the courts ruling that he cannot be deported for at least a month. The judge, in the meantime, will weigh a motion by Mejia’s attorney Brian Pu-Folkes to reopen the case over his immigration status.

“We’re very happy that at least Fernando can be less worried about any imminent deportation,” Pu-Folkes said in a statement following the July 2 ruling. “We’re cautiously optimistic.”

But Pu-Folkes admitted it was a “tough case.”

“We’re just going to wait for the judge’s decision,” the attorney added.

As Mejia was arriving at Schmear Bagel & Café in Port Washington for work on June 12, he was picked up by ICE agents and sent to a facility in Newark, New Jersey — part of President Trump’s crackdown on undocumented migrants in the US. 

Mejia emigrated to the US from El Salvador two decades ago, but overstayed his visa and missed an immigration hearing in 2005.

As a result, an order for his removal was issued.

His case has sparked national attention — inducing protests, rallies, a GoFundMe that quickly raised over $30,000, and a letter from Long Island Rep. Tom Suozzi demanding his release. 

“His arrest has devastated the Port Washington community, where he has lived and worked for over 20 years,” Suozzi, a moderate Democrat, wrote to Trump. “[Mejia has] spent years contributing to our economy and society.

“Deporting those who have ‘proven themselves to be very good people’ is not the answer.” 

Mejia does not own a criminal record.

His June detention came just days after thousands protested across Long Island — from police headquarters in Mineola to the Hamptons.

Democrat Debra Mulé, a Nassau County lawmaker, blasted Washington for terrorizing Long Island families with “indiscriminate ICE raids” following the detainment of four undocumented immigrants at a Glen Cove train station and the alleged wrongful detainment of a US citizen from Brentwood.

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Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman insisted, however, that unless someone is a danger to society, they have nothing to worry about.

Blakeman, a Republican, has pledged Nassau law enforcement will work with ICE, while adding he was “disturbed” that some would rather spend “tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money” to lock up undocumented criminals with an illegal immigration status instead of simply removing them from the US.

His neighbors in Republican-led Suffolk County have also pledged to work with ICE.

“There is no reason to be afraid because they’re only going after criminals –- people who have committed rapes and burglaries,” Blakeman told The Post last month.

Critics have slammed the Trump administration’s ICE raids claiming they have crossed the line from seeking out the worst of the worst criminals. They point out that Mejia and many others in ICE detention facilities have no criminal history. 

“He’s never had a parking ticket, never been to jail, never done anything, the whole community loves Fernando,” co-worker Nicole Martinez told ABC 7. “I feel like they’re stalking these people — leave them alone, they’re trying to work and take care of their families … what’s happening to them is just not fair.”