Free Armande Namegni

Armande's Story

On January 22, 2026, Armande Rhea Namegni was detained at a standard case meeting due to a misattributed shoplifting charge. She is here on asylum from Cameroon, where she survived multiple human rights violations.

Her Story

Armande fled political violence in Cameroon and sought safety in the United States in 2019. Upon arrival, she immediately declared her status and applied for asylum. From that day forward, she has complied fully with every requirement placed before her—attending each mandated appointment and honoring every legal obligation asked of her.

She represents the very best of what we hope for in someone seeking to build a life here: a woman of deep faith and character who persevered through profound hardship, works in a highly technical field, and brings specialized skills that are rare and difficult to replace.

On January 22, 2026, Armande attended a routine immigration check-in, expecting nothing unusual. Instead, she was told there was a shoplifting charge on her record—a charge that was misattributed and has since been removed from her record, but the fact that it had never happened did not matter. She was taken into detention that evening and has not been released.

As of August 26, she has been held for seven months, without access to visitors.

Despite having done everything right—despite the fact that the allegation leading to her detention was unfounded and has been cleared—Armande remains in Greene County jail with no clear timeline for release.

Contribute to Legal Fees

We are fundraising for legal fees for her case at the time. We currently need to raise another $10,600 in order to escalate her case to the US Court of Appeals after it was dismissed by the BIA.

Contribute

Share Her Story

Above all else, we want people to know that this is happening to get more voices speaking in her favor. Please share this with your friends and family and get her name out there. If you have an instagram, please follow and share posts from @free_armande

Contact Legislators

If you live in Missouri, we ask that you take the time to call your legislators about her case. This list encapsulates all of Armande's representatives, but please contact those whose voting district you reside in. We have a script below that you can use specifically if you would like, but feel free to modify it to share your own perspective. If you'd like her A number so it is clear who you are calling about, reach out at support@freearmande.com.

Who to Contact

Script

Nick Schroer (State Senator)

link to contact form

phone: 573-751-1282

Dave Hinman (State House Rep)

email: Dave.Hinman@house.mo.gov

phone: 573-751-2176

Bill Hennessy (Mayor of O'Fallon)

email: bhennessy@ofallonmo.gov

phone: 636-379-5500

Debbie Cook (Ward 5 Councilmember)

email: dcook@ofallonmo.gov

phone: 636-379-5588

Linda Ragsdale (Ward 5 Councilmember)

email: lragsdale@ofallonmo.gov

phone: 636-379-5584

David Shelby (Ward 5 Councilmember)

email: dshelby@rollacity.gov

Ann Wagner (US House Rep)

link to contact form

phone: (636) 231-1001

Josh Hawley (US Senator)

link to contact form
phone: 314-354-7060

Eric Schmitt (US Senator)

link to contact form

phone: 314-230-7263

Hello, my name is [your name] and I am a voting constituent in Missouri in zip code [your zip]. I'm calling because I am concerned about Armande Rhea Namegni who is currently in detention about an asylum case due to a misattributed shoplifting charge. That charge has since been removed, but she is still in detention. Armande is a pillar of her community, and is exactly the type of person we want in our state. I urge you to pressure the court system to immediately grant her bond so she can resume her life and continue her process of applying for asylum.

Armande's case, and the mishandling of other lawful immigration cases in our state generally, is a central factor in how I am planning to vote in the next election.

Thank you,

[your name]