Calls grow for release of California nurse and professor detained by ICE

Ann Lawani, a 39-year-old nurse, professor, and university program director, was taken from her home in Lodi by immigration agents in September. Since then, she has been moved between detention facilities in California, Texas, and Louisiana. Her detention has prompted strong backlash from students, faculty, and local lawmakers who are advocating for her freedom. While federal officials state she overstayed a visitor visa and received a final removal order in 2013, her lawyer maintains that a judge granted a withholding of removal due to the risk of persecution in Nigeria.