A beloved Johns Hopkins University researcher was released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention after her colleagues described being “extremely distressed” by her arrest as she attempted to board a plane.

Dr. Fatima Ameaka was released from ICE custody after being detained by immigration authorities at Baltimore-Washington International Airport on Tuesday. Ameaka was held at the Alexandria Staging Facility in Louisiana, according to her attorney.

In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security claimed that Ameaka entered the country on June 27, 2023, and that her stay would be allowed until June 13, 2024, and that she” overstayed her visa.”

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ABC News reported that it obtained documents showing Ameaka had a work authorization permit until 2029 and had a pending asylum case. Earlier this week, Ameaka’s colleagues said they were “extremely distressed” by the esteemed researcher’s ICE arrest.

Ameaka is a former Fulbright Scholar and Cameroonian native who is a research associate at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Described as a "super competent researcher,” Ameake left voicemails for her colleagues detailing her detainment as she attempted to board a flight in Maryland.

“That’s it, we haven’t heard from her since we’ve not been able to communicate with her, she hasn’t been able to communicate with us, and I say broadly not her family, not her friends, her coworkers, or her lawyers,” Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told WPLG Local 10. A spokesperson for the university told the news outlet that Ameaka was traveling in a “personal capacity” at the time of her arrest and that the university is actively working to support her, including ensuring she has access to legal representation.

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Concerns were also raised about Ameaka’s health, as she has a medical condition and needs access to her medication.

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According to sources, TSA has been providing ICE with “leads” or “tips” so the agency can arrest, detain, and initiate deportation proceedings against individuals deemed deportable by the federal government. Immigration lawyers believe that the surge in arrests is one of the latest efforts of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.