Alma Bowman is a 59-year-old Filipina American, an activist, and a survivor of ICE detention. While Alma was detained in the notorious Irwin County Detention Center in 2020, she courageously advocated for the health and safety of the people detained inside Irwin during the COVID-19 pandemic, both with respect to the pandemic and a doctor who was performing non-consensual and medically unnecessary medical and gynecological procedures on women detained in Irwin. Alma was eventually released from detention in 2020.

After four years of complying with all of ICE’s reporting requirements, Alma was re-detained by ICE at a check-in in March 2025. She spent a grueling eight months in detention at the Stewart Detention Center and was finally released upon presenting evidence indicating that she is, in fact, a US citizen. Alma has been living in Macon since November 2025 with her two adult children. She is completely dependent upon them and donations for financial support, since she cannot work due to her uncertain immigration status.

Despite being released from detention, Alma’s life has not been easy. She has been forced to wear an ankle monitor, and then an GPS tracking watch after demonstrating evidence of her diabetic condition. She has had to find rides to take her to her ICE check-ins every three months, which are a two-hour drive from her home in Macon, GA.

On August 3, 2026, Alma went to the emergency room after experiencing severe eye pain. A doctor diagnosed her with Glaucoma and told her that she needed immediate laser eye surgery, which combined with other medical expenses, will cost a few thousand dollars. Because of Alma’s lack of immigration status, she is ineligible for Medicare or Medicaid and is expected to pay medical costs out of pocket.

Alma is a mother, an activist, and a community caretaker who has continued to advocate for her comrades in ICE detention long after her own release. Let’s help Alma in the same way she has helped so many people.