US ICE detains Nigerian-born USF professor and Bay Area nurse Ann Lawani

Family members, colleagues and a California congressman are calling for the release of Dr Ann Lawani, a University of San Francisco nursing professor who was detained by US immigration authorities in September and transferred to Louisiana.

Lawani, 39, is a Nigerian national who has lived and worked in the United States for 21 years and holds a valid work permit, according to NBC Bay Area. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers took her from her home in Lodi, California, in shackles about eight weeks ago. Colleagues said she was initially held in Stockton, then moved to El Paso, Texas, before being transferred to the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, where she remains detained.

US Representative Josh Harder, a California Democrat, said Lawani had been granted “withholding of removal” because she faced persecution in Nigeria. In an October 20 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Harder cited her lack of a criminal record, her longstanding compliance with immigration requirements and her ties to the community. He asked ICE to release her under an order of supervision and arrange her immediate return to California.

Harder said Lawani’s location was missing from ICE’s online detainee locator, making it difficult for her family and lawyer to find her. KQED reported that the omission came under a policy affecting people with final removal orders.

“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.”

Harder asked the department to disclose where it planned to send Lawani, provide the supporting travel documents and explain why she remained in custody. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lawani oversees about 230 nursing students in the University of San Francisco’s master’s programme and works weekends in the cardiovascular stroke unit at John Muir Health. She specialises in palliative and hospice care and cared for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also helps care for her 83-year-old father, who is currently in hospital, according to the university.

Eileen Fry-Bowers, dean of the university’s School of Nursing and Health Professions, said Lawani’s absence had disrupted student mentoring, curriculum work required for accreditation and partnerships serving vulnerable communities. “I’m appalled that an individual like Dr. Lawani is in this circumstance. She’s one of the finest nurses that I know,” Fry-Bowers said.

University President Salvador Aceves told the campus community on Tuesday, November 10, that Lawani and her family had initially wanted to keep her detention private but now wanted people to know about it. “My family and I want to see my sister returned home safely and as soon as possible,” her brother, Samuel Lawani, said.

The New York Times also featured Lawani’s case in a report on November 10 examining how changes to deportation procedures can leave thousands of detainees out of ICE’s public locator system and speed up their removal.