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By Gabe Whisnant
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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.
Jemmy Lindsay Jimenez Rosa, 42, of Canton, Massachusetts, was returning from a family vacation in Mexico with her husband and three young daughters on August 11 when Customs and Border Protection officers pulled her aside and took her into a private room. Rosa, who was traveling with a valid U.S. green card just renewed in July, had pleaded guilty to misdemeanor marijuana possession at age 20 and served probation.
Boston immigration attorney Todd Pomerleau told Newsweek in a phone conversation Tuesday night that Rosa, originally from Peru, has lived in the U.S. since she was 9 years old. He said she worked as an administrative assistant at the School of Dental Medicine at Boston University.
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Pomerleau said he still hasn't been told by U.S. officials why his client is detained, but he believes the old marijuana charge is the likely reason.
"It's outrageous ... beyond the pale. These are people that have been in the system their whole lives, who have great jobs and pay taxes," Pomerleau said.
Newsweek has reached out to Customs and Border Protection via email on Tuesday night for comment.
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.
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.
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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.
Her attorney said that Jemmy Rosa was held at Logan airport 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 anxiety.
Pomerleau told Newsweek that his client had to be admitted to the hospital twice in four days while she was in custody at Logan airport.
Last week, Pomerleau successfully challenged her marijuana conviction in Massachusetts district court in Roxbury, 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.
"The judge and prosecutor were shocked at the way she had been treated," Pomerleau said.
Jemmy, a mother of four, remains in ICE custody, now transferred to a detention facility in Maine where she is able to speak with her family and lawyer.
In addition, Pomerleau sued the federal government on August 12, alleging a lack of due process for his client.
What People Are Saying
Pomerleau said that she was able to get on a live video call Tuesday to sing "Happy Birthday" to one of her daughters, who turned six: "It was nice, but it was also very sad. My staff was all crying."
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."
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 for Jemmy Rosa is scheduled for August 28.
Update: 8/19/25, 9:09 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
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