BURLINGTON, Mass. — The Canton mother who was detained at Logan Airport despite being a legal US resident was released Wednesday.
ICE officials told 25 Investigates that 42-year-old mother of three Jemmy Jimenez Rosa was transported from Maine to Burlington, Massachusetts for her release.
She is out and home with her family tonight.
“A green card is a privilege, not a right, and under our nation’s laws, our government has the authority to revoke a green card if our laws are broken and abused,” a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said. “Lawful Permanent Residents presenting at a U.S. port of entry with previous criminal convictions may be subject to mandatory detention and/or may be asked to provide additional documentation to be set up for an immigration hearing.”
Rosa’s family says she was detained on August 11 at Logan Airport while returning from a family vacation in Mexico with her husband and their three young daughters. She was in custody until Wednesday, August 20.
Husband Marcel Rosa, a U.S. citizen, says he handed over all the passports and his wife’s green card when they landed at Logan. He says his wife came to the United States legally from Peru at the age of nine, and she has held a green card ever since. The US Government renewed her green card again in July. Still, he says an officer pulled Jemmy aside for additional questioning. She was taken into a room alone.
“I walked in, and my wife’s head was just down, and you could tell her whole spirit was just crushed,” he recalled.
Jemmy was held at Logan for four days without access to her medication, a phone call, or even a shower before being transferred to a facility in Maine, according to her family and their attorney.
Rosa says his wife suffers from high blood pressure, is diabetic, and takes medication to treat mental health conditions. She has been hospitalized twice for treatment during her detention at Logan, Rosa says.
25Investigates reporting on those allegations caught the attention of Massachusetts Congressman Stephen Lynch
“This case obviously raised some red flags in terms of the delay and what services are available to her as a legal permanent resident,” Lynch said.
Lynch explained he was told by CBP agents that Jemmy did not request a phone call.
“That’s sort of a weak excuse; they should have informed her of that right,” Lynch said. “There were some medical issues that needed to be addressed. Those were not addressed until she was transferred up to Maine.”
Lynch also explained that he was told Jemmy was brought to Maine because there were no open beds in any similar Massachusetts facilities.
25 Investigates has asked CBP and ICE officials twice regarding the allegations of Jemmy’s detention, but has not heard back.
Rosa says when his wife was detained initially, the officer brought up a decades-old marijuana case. At age 20, Jemmy pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession and served probation.
However, 25 Investigates was there when Jemmy’s criminal record was wiped clean this week.
Her attorney argued in Massachusetts District Court that Jemmy wasn’t given proper counsel when she agreed to the plea 22 years ago. The judge and prosecutor agreed.
With that decision, her attorney filed a motion with the federal court to release Jemmy. He says after that, and one day after 25 Investigates reporting, he was notified that ICE was preparing for her release.
Lynch told Boston 25’s Kerry Kavanaugh that he hopes to visit Logan Airport to see the holding areas.
“Definitely worth looking into, especially where there’s a delay to getting a person access to medical care,” Lynch said.
The family has launched a GoFundMe to help cover legal and unexpected expenses.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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