Lisa Anderson, a doctor from Cromwell, Connecticut, told NBC Connecticut that she recently received a letter from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) telling her to leave the country.
“It is time for you to leave the United States.” the letter read in part.
Anderson, 58, was born in Pennsylvania and is a U.S. citizen.
Anderson told NBC that she has been carrying her U.S. passport with her since receiving the email and is seeking an immigration attorney.
“It does make me concerned there’re a lot more people out there like me who probably also thought this was spam, who probably didn’t realize, ‘I have a problem,’” she said.
Anderson isn’t the only U.S. citizen to have received a letter from the Trump administration ordering them to leave the country. Last week, Boston immigration attorney Nicole Micheroni received the same email notifying her that she has one week to leave the country.
In a statement, a DHS spokesperson said that the department has been issuing the notices to individuals who do not have lawful status to remain in the country.
“If a non-personal email — such as an American citizen contact — was provided by the alien, notices may have been sent to unintended recipients,” the officials told NBC News. “CBP is monitoring communications and will address any issues on a case-by-case basis.”
“To be clear: If you are an alien, being in the United States is a privilege — not a right,” the officials added. “We are acting in the best interest of the country and enforcing the law accordingly.”
