A Massachusetts mother who has lived legally in the U.S. for more than two decades was detained at Boston’s Logan International Airport this month and remains in custody after federal agents raised a decades-old marijuana conviction.
According to a report by Boston 25 News,Jemmy Jimenez Rosa, 42, of Canton, Massachusetts, was returning from a family vacation in Mexico with her husband and three young daughters on Aug. 11 when Customs and Border Protection officers pulled her aside. Rosa, who was traveling with a valid U.S. green card renewed in July, had pleaded guilty to misdemeanor marijuana possession at age 20 and served probation.
Why It Matters
The detention comes amid President Donald Trump‘s administration’s crackdown on immigrants, with some long-term residents facing renewed scrutiny and detention despite complying with routine immigration processes. Many with past convictions, even from decades ago, have found themselves in ICE custody despite spending years without facing serious immigration problems.
What to Know
A U.S. citizen, Marcel Rosa, Jemmy Rosa’s husband, told Boston 25’s Kerry Kavanaugh that he handed over all the passports and his wife’s green card before officers took her for questioning.
Rosa’s family and attorney say Jemmy Rosa was held at Logan for four days without access to her medication, a phone call, or a shower. Her husband told the TV station that she suffers from high blood pressure, diabetes and mental health conditions.
Boston immigration attorney Todd Pomerleau told Boston 25 he had no contact with her during that time.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) says that a green card holder has the right to live permanently in the U.S., provided they do not commit any actions that “would make you removable under immigration law.” This includes committing crimes and not filing taxes.
Last week, Pomerleau successfully challenged her marijuana conviction in Massachusetts district court, arguing she did not have proper legal counsel when she entered her plea 22 years ago. A judge and prosecutor agreed, and the case was dismissed, leaving her record clean.
Jemmy remains in ICE custody, now transferred to a detention facility in Maine where she can speak with her family and lawyer.
What People Are Saying
Marcel Rosa told Boston 25 News, “I walked in, and my wife’s head was just down, and you could tell her whole spirit was just crushed.”
With little explanation, he said he feared the worst. “I just told my kids, I was like, hey girls… this might be the last time you see your mother,” he said, fighting back tears.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a previous statement shared with Newsweek: “Under Secretary Noem, we are delivering on President Trump’s and the American people’s mandate to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens to make America safe. Secretary Noem unleashed ICE to target the worst of the worst and carry out the largest deportation operation of criminal aliens in American history.”
What Happens Next
A bond hearing is scheduled for Aug. 28. In addition, Boston 25 reported that Pomerleau has sued the federal government, alleging a lack of due process for Jemmy Rosa.
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