Following her detention in September and subsequent relocation to Louisiana, relatives, work colleagues, and a United States lawmaker have mounted intense pressure for the freedom of Dr Ann Lawani, a University of San Francisco nursing academic.
Lawani, a 39-year-old Nigeria-born national who has spent 21 years residing and building her career in America with a valid work authorization, was handcuffed and taken from her Lodi, California residence approximately eight months ago by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel. Associates disclosed that she was initially kept in Stockton, shifted to El Paso, Texas, and finally placed inside the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, where her detention continues.
Why was Dr Lawani granted protection previously?
Representative Josh Harder, a Democratic legislator from California, pointed out that Lawani previously received withholding of removal protection due to credible fears of persecution in her home country. In an October 20 communication addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Harder emphasized her clean criminal record, consistent adherence to immigration guidelines, and deep community integration. He urged ICE to grant her release on an order of supervision and facilitate her swift journey back to California.
Harder noted that Lawani's details vanished from the online ICE detainee tracking system, complicating efforts by her legal counsel and relatives to locate her whereabouts. Media reports indicated this disappearance stemmed from an administrative directive impacting individuals facing active removal mandates.
What are the concerns regarding her due process?
"ICE has also reportedly pursued her removal to an undisclosed third country without providing her or her attorney with the relevant documentation," Harder stated in his letter. "These circumstances raise serious concerns about due process, transparency, and the justification for her continued detention."
The lawmaker pressed the department to reveal her prospective destination, supply the corresponding travel documentation, and justify her prolonged custody. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately issue statements in response to inquiries.
Lawani coordinates roughly 230 nursing scholars within the postgraduate program at her institution and maintains weekend shifts at the John Muir Health cardiovascular stroke department. Her professional focus centers on palliative and hospice medicine, fields in which she actively treated patients during the peak of the COVID-19 health crisis. Academic representatives noted she also shares responsibility for looking after her hospitalized 83-year-old father.
Eileen Fry-Bowers, who leads the institution's nursing and health faculty, stated that Lawani's absence has severely affected student guidance, accreditation-related curriculum developments, and outreach initiatives supporting vulnerable populations. University President Salvador Aceves informed campus members that Lawani and her relatives initially preferred privacy regarding the incident but later chose to make the matter public to generate support. Her brother, Samuel Lawani, expressed a collective desire for her prompt and safe return.