Congressman calls for release of California nurse detained by ICE

LODI, Calif. - Rep. Josh Harder (D-Stockton) is calling for the release of a nurse who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and sent across the country, 1,700 miles from home. 

Nurse detained by ICE

What we know:

ICE agents arrested Ann Lawani in September in Lodi, Calif., where she lives and cares for her elderly father. Lawani has professional ties to both the University of San Francisco and John Muir Health in the Bay Area.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Lawani entered the U.S. legally on a temporary basis from Nigeria in 2007, but overstayed that admittance. She is currently being detained in Louisiana.

In late October, Harder sent a letter to DHS demanding her supervised release and immediate return to California while her immigration case remains pending.

"ICE has also reportedly pursued her removal to an undisclosed third country without providing her or her attorney with the relevant documentation," Harder wrote. "These circumstances raise serious concerns about due process, transparency, and the justification for her continued detention."

No comment

What we don't know:

ICE did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday on Lawani's transfers or her absence from the agency's detainee locator.   

Lawani's brother, Samuel Lawani, described his sister as a caring medical professional who was dedicated to helping her father, patients, and students with equal attention.

"My sister is an amazing caregiver, healthcare leader, and educator in our community, and I was devastated not just at her unacceptable arrest, but the decision to send her across the country and detain her unnecessarily," he said in a statement provided by Harder's office. "Not only is Dr. Ann a scholar in her profession, but an extremely skilled nurse with unmatched dedication to her patients and students alike. She gives everything she has, daily, to save lives and train the nurses of the future to be as trained, ready and dedicated as she is."   

As the program director for University of San Francisco's master's in nursing degree, Lawani also oversees the nursing education of about 230 students.

Absence causes harm: UCSF   

What they're saying:

Eileen Fry-Bowers, dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions at USF, said in a statement shared by Harder that Lawani's absence was being acutely felt by students and colleagues.  

"Her continued absence causes real and mounting harm to the students and faculty who rely on her mentorship, to our accreditation-mandated curriculum work, and to the safety-net partnerships she has built," Fry-Bowers said.   

Harder said in his letter that Lawani had complied with all previous requirements placed on her by immigration authorities, so there was no reason not to allow her to remain free while any potential immigration proceedings play out. 

He added that what happened to Lawani raises broad questions about the department’s priorities, such as why significant taxpayer resources are used to target and transport people like Lawani.

"Her case illustrates the troubling consequences of an enforcement approach that fails to adequately distinguish between individuals who threaten our communities and those who help sustain them," Harder wrote.

He called on her to be transferred to California and released while her case was considered. 
    

The Source: Information for this story comes from Rep. Josh Harder, Samuel Lawani, and UCSF.