A doctor born in the United States says she received an email from federal immigration authorities demanding that she leave the country immediately.
Lisa Anderson, a physician from Cromwell, Connecticut, told NBC Connecticut on Wednesday that she recently received a letter from the Department of Homeland Security telling her, “It is time for you to leave the United States.”
Immigration authorities have been pushing noncitizens to leave of their own volition, or “self-deport,” as the number of deportations remains at similar levels to last year.
But Anderson, 58, was born in Pennsylvania and is a U.S. citizen.
“The language seemed pretty threatening to whomever it might actually apply to,” she said.
A senior DHS official told NBC News 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 said. “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.”
The email to Anderson comes days after a Boston immigration attorney — who is also a U.S. citizen — received the same email from DHS, telling her to leave the country within seven days. The attorney, Nicole Micheroni, told MSNBC that as of Tuesday, federal officials had not followed up.
Pointing to the Boston email, Anderson said that she does not “have anything to do with immigration.”
Anderson has been carrying her U.S. passport on her at all times 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.
