El. Magnifico ✨

Outrage As ICE Arrests Nigerian Professor From Her House In Shackles Despite Being In The U.S. For 21 Years On A Valid Work Permit Outrage has followed the arrest and detention of Nigerian nurse and assistant professor, Ann Lawani, by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), despite her years of residence and professional service in the country. Lawani was arrested at her home in Lodi, California, on September 16 during what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described as a targeted enforcement operation. She has reportedly lived in the United States for 13 years, caring for her 83-year-old father while working as a nurse at John Muir Health and as a programme director at the University of San Francisco, where she oversees more than 200 nursing students. The Nigerian-born professor holds a PhD in Nursing from the University of San Diego and specialises in hospice and palliative care. According to DHS, Lawani entered the US legally on June 7, 2007, but overstayed her temporary admission and was issued a final deportation order in August 2013. The agency also maintained that having work authorisation does not automatically grant someone legal immigration status. However, California Congressman Josh Harder has called for her release, insisting that she maintained federally authorised employment and complied with immigration requirements. Harder said an immigration judge had blocked her deportation to Nigeria after determining that she would likely face persecution there. He also alleged that ICE attempted to deport her to an undisclosed country without providing relevant documents to her lawyer. The congressman further disclosed that she was arrested without prior notice and transferred through several states to a detention facility in Louisiana, leaving her family and legal representatives struggling to locate her. Her brother, Samuel Lawani, described the arrest and transfer as devastating, while the University of San Francisco has joined calls for her release on bond. DHS has yet to respond to questions about the alleged violation of the court’s protection and her reported transfer to Louisiana.