Outrage has followed the arrest and detention of Nigerian nurse and assistant professor, Ann Lawani, by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), despite her years of residence and professional service in the country.
Lawani was arrested at her home in Lodi, California, on September 16 during what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described as a targeted enforcement operation.
She has reportedly lived in the United States for 13 years, caring for her 83-year-old father while working as a nurse at John Muir Health and as a programme director at the University of San Francisco, where she oversees more than 200 nursing students.
The Nigerian-born professor holds a PhD in Nursing from the University of San Diego and specialises in hospice and palliative care.
