A US immigration lawyer born in Massachusetts was mistakenly ordered to leave the country by the Trump administration.
Nicole Micheroni, 40, received an email from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with the subject line "Notification of Termination of Parole".
The Newton-born attorney, who is a partner at Massachusetts law firm Cameron Micheroni & Silvia, was stunned to discover the deportation notice was addressed to her rather than one of her clients.
DHS has since confirmed the email was sent in error.
The DHS has since apologised
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The threatening email read: "DHS is terminating your parole. Do not attempt to remain in the United States -- the federal government will find you."
"It took me a couple of minutes to realize it was sent to me, instead of someone I represent," Micheroni told the Boston Globe.
The email did not include a case number or client name.
"The language in the email is very threatening," she told NBC affiliate WBTS-TV. "And it looks kind of like a sketchy spam email. It doesn't look like an official government notice, but it is."
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A senior DHS official explained that the mistake could have occurred if an asylum seeker included Micheroni's contact details in their application.
"CBP used the known email addresses of the alien to send notifications. 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 official said.
The email was one of many sent as part of the Trump administration's mass deportation plans.
Micheroni, who has practised immigration law for 12 years, said she had never seen immigration parole terminated via email during her career.
Sarah Sherman-Stokes, associate director of the Immigrants' Rights and Human Trafficking Clinic at Boston University School of Law, said the emails were predominantly sent to asylum seekers who used the Biden-era CBP One app.
The app allowed migrants to schedule hearings and appointments as part of their bid to remain in the US.
President Trump immediately axed the programme upon taking office, leaving thousands scrambling for legal ways to pursue their asylum claims.
The app has reportedly been converted to "CBP Home," a tool that now "helps" immigrants "self-deport".
She said: "I never took DHS's scary-sounding notice that I had seven days to leave the country too seriously, because it was obviously some kind of mistake... But what about the people the emails were actually aimed at?
"The system doesn't let you include an attorney's contact info, so we still have no idea how I ended up on the list."
She believes the blunder demonstrates the Trump administration "not being careful" when using "intimidation tactics" on undocumented migrants.
