Ann Lawani: Nigerian nurse detained by US immigration authorities for nearly two months

Ann Lawani. Photo credit: University San Francisco

Nigerian-born nurse and university professor, Dr Ann Lawani, has been held by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement for nearly two months following her arrest at her home in Lodi, California, on September 16, 2026.

Lawani is the Statewide ME-MSN Programme Director at the University of San Francisco, where she oversees about 230 nursing students. 

She also works as a nurse at John Muir Health, according to a Tuesday report by KQED.

A practising registered nurse, Lawani holds a PhD in Nursing from the University of San Diego, a Master of Science in Nursing in Clinical Nurse Leadership from the same institution, and a bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration from California State University, Sacramento.

According to her official profile on the University of San Francisco website, her clinical experience includes caring for patients with cardiopulmonary conditions, stroke, cystic fibrosis and orthopaedic conditions in acute care and hospice settings.

Her research focuses on palliative care, healthcare use among patients with advanced cancer, care for chronically ill older adults and end-of-life transitions. 

The university also says she mentors first-generation nursing students and promotes diversity and health equity in the nursing profession.

Lawani was arrested by ICE agents at her Lodi home on September 16 and initially taken to a detention facility in Stockton, California. 

She was subsequently transferred through other facilities, including El Paso, Texas, before being moved to the South Louisiana ICE Processing Centre, where she remains detained, according to NBC Bay Area.

Her immigration case dates back to 2007, when she entered the US on a visitor visa and later applied for asylum. 

The Department of Homeland Security said her asylum application was denied in 2013 and that an immigration judge issued a final order of removal on August 6 of that year.

However, her lawyer, Natalia Vieira Santanna, told KCRA 3 that the judge also granted Lawani withholding of removal to Nigeria after finding that she was more likely than not to face persecution if returned to the country.

Santanna said the ruling prevented the government from removing her client to Nigeria. She also told KCRA that Lawani’s work permit remains valid until April 2029.

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The Department of Homeland Security, however, said in a statement to KCRA 3, “She received due process and was issued a final order of removal on August 6, 2013. She will remain in ICE custody pending removal from the United States.”

The department added, “Work authorisation does not confer legal status in the U.S.”

Lawani’s detention has prompted calls for her release from her family, university colleagues, nurses’ union and elected officials.

Her brother, Samuel Lawani, told KCRA 3, “To simply put it, she is a lifesaver.” He also said, “I will move the earth if possible to make sure she gets out of there.”

The dean of the University of San Francisco’s School of Nursing and Health Professions, Eileen Fry-Bowers, said Lawani’s absence was affecting students and the institution’s work.

“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, according to KQED.

The National Nurses United, in a statement issued on Wednesday, called for Lawani’s immediate release and return home.

“Ann Lawani represents the best of us: a hardworking, dedicated nurse who committed herself fully to her education and profession and is beloved by her patients, her students, and her community,” the union said.

The union also urged John Muir Health and the University of San Francisco to use their influence to secure her release.

United States Congressman Josh Harder has also asked the Department of Homeland Security to release Lawani and return her to California while her case proceeds.

In a statement issued on November 10, Harder said, “Given her longstanding compliance, lack of criminal history, and substantial community ties, there is no apparent public safety justification for keeping Dr Lawani detained thousands of miles from home while her case proceeds.”

Harder’s office also said he had written to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin seeking information about her proposed country of removal and the basis for her continued detention.