A mother of six from Rhode Island who has legal permanent resident status has been detained at Logan Airport by federal officials for more than a week, according to her lawyer.

Eva Helena Mendes, of Woonsocket, first immigrated to the US from Cape Verde as an 8-year-old. She has been living in the country for the past 40 years. In October, Mendes traveled back to Cape Verde after the sudden loss of her brother.

“It was also meant to be a joyful reunion — a chance to surprise her mother, whom she hadn’t seen in over 40 years. What was meant to be a healing visit of love and family turned into an unimaginable nightmare,” the organizer of a GoFundMe set up to support Mendes and her family wrote alongside the online fundraiser .

When Mendes returned to Logan on Nov. 5, she was detained by

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