LINTHICUM, Md. — UPDATE (1 p.m., 8/1/2026): An attorney representing Fatima Ameaka tells 11 News that she was released from custody Friday night, though she is now in removal proceedings.

Original Story: Federal immigration officials arrested a Johns Hopkins University researcher on accusations she overstayed her visa.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Fatima Ameaka on Tuesday at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on allegations she overstayed her visa, according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security statement sent to WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates on Friday.

DHS said Ameaka, a native of Cameroon and former Fulbright scholar, entered the U.S. on June 27, 2023, with a visa valid until June 13, 2024.

“In violation of our nation’s laws, she overstayed her visa. She will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” a DHS representative told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates.

Tom Inglesby, the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, where Ameaka works as a research associate, said Ameaka left two voicemails on Tuesday night, saying she had been detained while boarding a flight to Florida.

“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 that broadly — not her family, not her friends, her coworkers or her lawyers,” Inglesby told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates.

Ameaka was initially detained in Baltimore before being moved to Virginia. She was then transferred overnight to an ICE processing center in South Louisiana, according to Inglesby.

“We are very worried. We don’t know where she is. We don’t know what is happening to her or why,” Inglesby told WBAL-TV 11 News.

Inglesby also expressed concern about Ameaka’s medical condition, noting that she requires medications. Her family and friends have not been informed whether she has access to her medications, and ICE has not reached out regarding her health needs.

Johns Hopkins University released a statement, saying it is actively working to support Ameaka, including ensuring she has access to legal representation. The university’s statement follows:

“Johns Hopkins is deeply concerned to have learned of the recent detention of Fatima Ameaka, an employee at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and a respected member of our community.

“The university understands the fear and concern this instills in members of our community. Dr. Ameaka was traveling in a personal capacity, and though we cannot comment on the specifics of her situation, we want to assure our community that the university is actively working to provide support for Dr. Ameaka, including ensuring she has access to legal representation.

“The university’s Office of International Services (OIS) provides a range of services for our international community, including regular updates on travel and changes in federal policies. Our guidance in response to questions regarding federal immigration enforcement is available online.”

Briana Arnold, an immigration partner at Killian Law Group, said arrests like Ameaka’s are becoming more common as ICE and the Transportation Security Administration increase information sharing.

“ICE and TSA are information sharing more now than ever. I advise all of my clients to avoid any domestic travel right now if they don’t have a current lawful status,” Arnold told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates. “We’re in a time where it doesn’t seem that the support of anyone, even your local representative, is really helping anybody’s case.”

Ameaka’s colleagues and community have rallied to support her with an online fundraiser that has since collected more than $40,000 to cover legal expenses.

“She is beloved, both by her coworkers at Johns Hopkins, by her community, by her family. She is a super competent researcher at our center,” Inglesby told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates. “We’re just extremely distressed by what’s happened to her.”

U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, posted a statement on social media, saying: “Fatima came to the U.S. on a Fulbright scholarship and is a researcher at Johns Hopkins. She had previously filed for (Temporary Protected Status) and currently has a pending asylum case. But ICE has detained her and is working to deport her. She is not the ‘worst of the worst,’ and deporting her is not making us safer. We must stand up and speak out.”