USF Nursing Dean Urges Federal Release of Detained Professor
University leaders and local representatives are pressing ICE to return a 39-year-old nurse to California after a series of inter-state transfers.
By Renata Mehta ·
Students at the University of San Francisco are counting down the days to their graduation, waiting for a professor who has been missing from campus for nearly two months. Ann Lawani, a nursing faculty member, remains in federal custody while her university and local officials push for her return to Lodi, California.
Eileen Fry-Bowers, the dean of the nursing school, stated that Lawani needs to come home. Lawani, 39, was taken from her residence by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in September. Since that arrest, she has been moved between detention facilities in California, Texas, and Louisiana.
The transfers have occurred without clear explanation, leaving the university to track her location. Lawani has maintained academic oversight of two distinct programs during her absence. She directs a master’s entry program for students from non-nursing backgrounds and a bachelor’s program focused on public health safety-net institutions.
Fry-Bowers noted that Lawani engages regularly with approximately 300 students. One graduate student, Casey Murray, described Lawani as an educator who remembered names from orientation weeks later. With 37 days remaining before graduation, Murray expressed the desire for Lawani to be present for the ceremony and to reunite with her family.
Federal records indicate Lawani entered the United States on a visitor’s visa in 2007 and later overstayed it. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said a final order of removal was issued in August 2013. Lawani’s attorney, Natalia Santanna, acknowledged the order but argued the government’s account is incomplete.
Santanna explained that Lawani applied for asylum within one year of arriving. An immigration judge granted withholding of removal in 2013, finding that Lawani would likely face persecution in Nigeria. The lawyer characterized this as a continuing legal bar to removal, allowing Lawani to reside in the United States under that protection.
Legal challenges are currently underway. Santanna said her team filed a habeas petition in the eastern district of California to question the legality of the detention. The case remains pending as the university continues to mobilize support.
Congressman Josh Harder, who represents Lawani’s district, contacted DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin in late October. In a letter, Harder cited Lawani’s long compliance record, lack of criminal history, and strong community ties. He argued there was no apparent public safety justification for keeping her detained thousands of miles from her home.
Harder also pointed to administrative gaps in her case, including a lack of prior notice before her arrest and discrepancies in the online detainee database regarding her location.
Fry-Bowers highlighted Lawani’s professional background in hospice and palliative care. The dean said Lawani helps patients maintain dignity during their final stages. Fry-Bowers stated that if she had to choose a colleague to care for her own family, Lawani would be the first person on the list.
