California Congressman Seeks Release of Detained Nurse

On November 10, Rep. Josh Harder spoke out against the detention of Ann Lawani, a longtime Lodi resident who directs a nursing program at the University of San Francisco. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested her on September 16 during what it described as a targeted operation.

Harder Challenges ICE Detention of California Nurse

On November 10, Rep. Josh Harder renewed calls for Ann Lawani’s release, challenging the detention of a longtime Lodi resident and University of San Francisco nursing-program director. ICE arrested Lawani at her home on September 16 during a targeted enforcement operation.

Harder said an immigration judge had found Lawani would likely face persecution in Nigeria and blocked her deportation there. He also said she had work authorization from federal authorities and followed immigration rules. In an October letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Harder alleged ICE tried to deport her to another country without giving her attorney relevant documents.

Harder said agents moved Lawani through several states to a Louisiana detention center, and that her family and attorney struggled to find her because her location did not appear in ICE’s online locator. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to questions about the claimed court protection or transfer. A spokesperson said work authorization does not grant legal status.

The case puts the focus on whether immigration enforcement is being carried out consistently with the protections Harder says apply to Lawani. He is seeking her release; the department has not publicly addressed his specific claims.

Harder Seeks Release for Nurse With Final Removal Order

Rep. Josh Harder is pressing for the release of Ann Lawani, a nurse and University of San Francisco nursing-program director whom ICE arrested in Lodi on September 16. But Lawani’s case includes a key fact: she has had a final order of removal since 2013.

Lawani entered the United States legally in 2007 on a temporary basis and did not leave when that period ended. She has lived in Lodi for 13 years. Harder says she held federal permission to work and followed immigration rules, but work authorization does not itself provide legal status, the Department of Homeland Security said.

In an October letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Harder urged her release. He said an immigration judge found Lawani would likely face persecution in Nigeria and blocked her deportation there. He also alleged ICE tried to send her to another country without giving her attorney relevant documents, and that her family had difficulty locating her after she was moved to Louisiana.

The department did not respond to questions about the claimed judicial protection or the transfer. Harder’s request puts the case’s humanitarian claims alongside the existing removal order and the distinction between permission to work and permission to remain in the country.