St. Roch Market Vendor Tunde Way In Trouble For Expired Visa

Tunde Way, renowned Nigerian chef and charismatic operator of Lagos in the St. Roch Market, has been testing America's immigration system since his student visa expired in 2007, NPR reports this week.  Before landing a coveted spot in the St. Roch Market this spring, Way was detained in February for several weeks by border control in El Paso while traveling from DC to LA during his sold-out roving dinner pop up. According to NPR, almost half of illegal immigrants, like Way, have expired visas.

Way has actually had some luck on his side, since he has a clean record and great friends, who were able to raise his bail. But he now faces a date in immigration court in 2017—that's how backed up the immigration courts are—which will decide if he can stay or not.  You can currently find his exceptional dishes inside the St. Roch Market daily, all of which critic Brett Anderson reports "will delight your taste buds; all of it challenges them."