A California nurse and university professor has been held in US immigration detention for nearly two months after federal agents detained her at home and transferred her across the country. Her family spent three days trying to locate her in ICE custody.

Dr Ann Lawani, 39, is a registered nurse and nursing professor at the University of San Francisco (USF), where she oversees a nursing programme serving around 230 students. She also works at John Muir Health.

Lawani was arrested on 16 September and taken to a holding facility in Stockton, where she briefly called her family. According to Stocktonia, she was later transferred through California and Texas before reaching a detention centre in Louisiana. Her family said ICE's Online Detainee Locator System returned no result; they learned her whereabouts after she called three days later.

ICE Policy Change Left Families Struggling to Locate Detainees

Lawani's case comes amid a wider change to the federal detainee locator. The Associated Press reported that ICE stopped publicly listing the locations of thousands of people with final deportation orders from 15 September, the day before her arrest.

The system helps relatives and lawyers locate people in detention. ICE guidance advises families who cannot find someone to contact the relevant field office. The policy change has made it harder to trace some detainees, according to the AP.

Her Immigration Case Includes Protection From Removal to Nigeria

The Department of Homeland Security said Lawani overstayed a visitor visa and received a final order of removal in 2013. Her lawyer and supporters point to another part of that ruling: although the immigration judge denied her asylum application, the judge granted her withholding of removal to Nigeria after finding she would likely face persecution if returned there.

That protection does not amount to asylum or permanent legal status, but it bars removal to Nigeria. Lawani's work authorisation, issued in 2014 and renewed since, is reportedly valid until 2029. Congressman Josh Harder alleged that ICE attempted to remove Lawani to an undisclosed third country during her transfers and has asked the Department of Homeland Security for details.

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Lawmakers and Colleagues Call for Her Release

Harder has asked federal officials to return Lawani to California and explain her continued detention. The University of San Francisco has also spoken publicly about the impact of her absence. Nursing school dean Eileen K. Fry-Bowers said it was causing 'real and mounting harm' to students and faculty who rely on Lawani's teaching and mentorship.

The case highlights nurses' contribution beyond direct patient care, including the educators who prepare future clinicians.

Nurse Educators Help Prepare the Next Generation of Clinicians

Nurse educators combine teaching, clinical supervision and healthcare partnerships. Their absence can disrupt mentoring and training, although the precise effect on students or patient care in Lawani's case has not been quantified.

As of 11 November, Lawani remained in ICE custody in Louisiana, according to CBS San Francisco. DHS says Lawani received a final order of removal in 2013 and will remain in ICE custody pending removal. The department has also said her work authorisation does not confer legal immigration status.

Her case has also drawn attention to the practical consequences of detention far from home.

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