For nearly 20 years, Besnik “Nik” Shembitrasi built a life in America.

He worked as a barber, supported his family, married an American citizen, raised a daughter and became a familiar face to many people in the Chicago area.

But in May 2026, everything changed when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested him outside his home in Elmwood Park, Illinois, as he was leaving for work.

The Albanian barber was taken into custody and later deported back to Albania, ending his two-decade life in the United States.

His case has since drawn attention after his family, members of his community and one longtime customer spoke publicly about the man they say was not a criminal, but an immigrant who spent years working to build the American dream.

Nik’s uncle, Frank Shemitraku, owner of barber shops in Elmwood Park and Oak Park, said his nephew’s story must be understood through the reality of Albania after the fall of communism.

According to Shemitraku, Nik was deceived by people who promised to help him obtain legal documents to reach the United States.

“They promise, ‘I get visa for you’” Shemitraku said. “There were a lot of guys like that. But the visa was false. It wasn’t his fault. He paid the money to come to the U.S.”

Shemitraku said that during those years many Albanians looking for a better future were targeted by individuals who offered fake opportunities to immigrate.

“He worked hard and paid the money. He was victimized by criminals” he said.

After arriving in the United States in 2005, Nik built a new life in the Chicago area. He eventually became a licensed barber and began working at his uncle’s shop.

Family members say he often worked multiple jobs to provide for his family, including construction work and driving for Uber, Lyft and DoorDash.

He married an American citizen, and together they have an eight-year-old daughter. Before his arrest, the family had also purchased a home in Elmwood Park.

“I say you can’t call this guy criminal” Shemitraku said. “You’re talking about 20 years ago. There was government, but they couldn’t control this kind of people. Today it’s different.”

However, immigration authorities presented a different version of events.

ICE confirmed that Nik was arrested on May 17, 2026, and said he entered the United States illegally using a fraudulent Italian passport. Authorities stated that he received a final order of removal from an immigration judge on May 5, 2008, but did not leave the country.

ICE described him as a “criminal illegal alien” citing the fraudulent document used to enter the country and his failure to comply with the removal order.

The agency said he remained in custody before being removed from the United States.

Despite the legal case against him, people who knew Nik personally continued to defend his character.

The story gained even more attention on July 14, when American writer Bill Ward published an emotional essay titled Take a Good Look at This Face about the barber who had cut his hair for seven years.

Ward described Nik as much more than just his barber, writing about their conversations during monthly visits and the friendship that developed over time.

He recalled hearing Nik’s stories about growing up in rural Albania after the collapse of communism, struggling to find opportunities and eventually making his way to America in search of a better life.

Ward wrote that Nik worked constantly, supported his family and represented the kind of immigrant story that has shaped America for generations.

In his essay, Ward acknowledged that Nik had violated U.S. immigration law, but argued that there is a difference between what is legal and what is just.

For Ward and many who knew him, Nik was not defined by an immigration file or a government label, but by the life he built and the people he impacted.

The essay ended with a message that resonated with many readers:

“This is not, in any meaningful way, a ‘criminal.’ This is Nik the Barber. Albanian by birth, American in spirit.”