Jemmy Lindsay Jimenez Rosa, a 42-year-old mother from Canton, Massachusetts, who has lived legally in the U.S. for over 20 years, was detained earlier this month at Boston’s Logan International Airport. Federal agents flagged a marijuana conviction from more than two decades ago, leading to her continued detention.
Rosa was returning from a family vacation in Mexico with her husband and three young daughters on August 11 when Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers separated her for questioning. Though she was traveling with a valid U.S. green card, renewed just the previous month, officials highlighted her guilty plea for misdemeanor marijuana possession at age 20. She served probation at the time.
Boston immigration attorney Todd Pomerleau, representing Rosa, told Newsweek that she emigrated from Peru at age 9 and has lived in the U.S. ever since. She is employed as an administrative assistant at Boston University’s School of Dental Medicine.
Pomerleau expressed frustration over the detention, saying federal authorities have not provided a clear explanation but suspect the old conviction is the cause. “It’s outrageous… these are people who have been part of the system their entire lives, have steady jobs, and pay taxes,” he said.
Newsweek has requested a comment from Customs and Border Protection.
Context
Rosa’s case comes amid heightened immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, where long-term legal residents with past convictions—even minor and decades-old ones—face increased scrutiny and detention.
According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), green card holders have the right to live permanently in the U.S. unless they engage in conduct that makes them removable under immigration law, including certain criminal offenses or failing to meet tax obligations.
Rosa’s husband, Marcel Rosa, a U.S. citizen, told Boston 25 News that he had voluntarily handed over all passports and his wife’s green card before her questioning began.
Her attorney revealed that Rosa spent four days at Logan airport detention without access to medication, phone calls, or basic hygiene facilities. She has underlying health issues including high blood pressure, diabetes, and anxiety.
During her detention, Rosa required two hospitalizations. Last week, Pomerleau successfully challenged her 22-year-old marijuana conviction in Massachusetts district court, arguing she was denied proper legal counsel at the time of her plea. The judge and prosecutor agreed, dismissing the case and clearing her record. “The judge and prosecutor were shocked by how she was treated,” said Pomerleau.
Rosa, a mother of four, remains in ICE custody, now transferred to a detention center in Maine where she can communicate with her family and attorney.
On August 12, Pomerleau filed a lawsuit against the federal government alleging violations of Rosa’s due process rights.