President Donald Trump's immigration enforcers have reportedly arrested the daughter of a U.S. veteran.
Alma Bowman, 58, was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE) in March during a scheduled check-in at its Atlanta field office, according to Atlanta News First. She has been living in the country since she was 10 years old.
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"She is an American citizen, and to lock her up in immigration detention is deeply offensive to her humanity, to the Constitution, and is just plain wrong," family attorney Samantha Hamilton, of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, told Newsweek.
Newsweek has contacted ICE via email outside office hours for comment.
Why It MattersMass deportations were a key component of Trump's 2024 campaign. Since he returned to office, thousands of undocumented immigrants have been arrested under his administration's hard-line crackdown.
A federal agent holds handcuffs outside an immigration court, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Phoenix. Ross D. Franklin/AP© Ross D. Franklin/AP
While Trump said his administration would target undocumented migrants who had committed serious crimes, ICE has detained dozens of nonviolent immigrants without legal status. The White House has also said that anyone living in the country illegally is a criminal.
Critics of the Trump administration's approach say immigration raids are sowing fear in vulnerable communities. They have also raised concerns about racial profiling and the lack of due process.
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What To KnowThe day she was taken into custody, Alma Bowman was transferred to Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, which is operated by the private contractor CoreCivic, as ICE began deportation proceedings.
Her father, Lawrence Bowman, a U.S. Navy service member from Illinois, was stationed in the Philippines during the Vietnam War. Alma Bowman was born in the Philippines in 1966, and her family relocated to the United States a decade later. She has lived in Macon, Georgia, for almost 50 years.
Certain legal provisions allow for the extension of citizenship to family members of individuals who have served in the U.S. military.
The federal government revoked Alma Bowman's permanent residency following a criminal conviction almost 20 years ago related to writing checks totaling $1,200, a debt that has since been repaid.
Until March, she had been checking in with ICE about once a year while pursuing a claim for U.S. citizenship, which she began in 2020. According to Hamilton, ICE did not provide a reason for the recent change in her case status.
"The rule of law has never seemed to be so meaningless," Hamilton said. "They want to remove people without respect to that person's individual circumstances, even if they may be a U.S. citizen."
John and Chris Bowman said their mother's detention has had a major impact on their family.
"There have been a couple of times I come in her room, and it feels like I can't breathe," John Bowman told Atlanta News First.
Democratic Congressman Hank Johnson, who represents Georgia's 4th congressional district, said she was being unlawfully detained.
Hamilton has raised concerns that ICE may be acting in conflict with one of its policies by detaining Alma Bowman. ICE Policy 16001.2, titled "Investigating the Potential U.S. Citizenship of Individuals Encountered by ICE," was issued on November 10, 2015, and outlines procedures for ICE personnel when encountering individuals who may have a claim to U.S. citizenship.
The directive says that ICE does not have civil immigration enforcement authority over U.S. citizens and requires officers, agents and attorneys to promptly and carefully investigate any potential claims to citizenship before taking enforcement action.
More than 2,600 people are held in immigration detention across Georgia, according to data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.
What People Are SayingFamily attorney Samantha Hamilton told Newsweek: "Alma is one of thousands of people across the world who have been born to U.S. citizens in countries where the U.S. has erected military outposts, but whom have not been recognized as U.S. citizens. The plight of 'Amerasians' has been widely studied. But in Alma's case, her father legitimated her, brought her to the U.S., and she has lived in Macon, Georgia since she was 10 years old."
Representative Hank Johnson said: "She's an American citizen. That has been clearly established. The fact that one of her parents was an American means that she is an American."
Gabriela USA and Malaya Movement USA said in a joint statement issued in March: "Her detainment is a major cause of concern due to her ongoing medical issues, even being hospitalized just last week which has resulted in her needing to use a wheelchair."
What Happens NextMore details surrounding the case are expected to be released. The administration seeks to increase enforcement operations as it enacts plans to remove millions of immigrants without legal status as part of the GOP's flagship immigration policy. |
