New Zealand woman and six-year-old son detained for three weeks by Ice in US enduring ‘terrifying' ordeal

The Guardian

3 days ago

A New Zealand woman who is being held at a US immigration centre with her six-year-old son after they were detained crossing the Canada-US border, is being wrongly 'treated like a criminal', according to her friend and advocate.
Sarah Shaw, 33, a New Zealander who has lived in Washington state for just over three years, dropped her two eldest children to Vancouver airport on 24 July, so they could take a direct flight back to New Zealand for a holiday with their grandparents.
When Shaw attempted to re-enter the US, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detained her and her youngest son, in what was a 'terrifying' ordeal, said Victoria Besancon, Shaw's friend who is helping to raise money for her legal fight.
'Sarah thought she was being kidnapped,' she said. 'They didn't really explain anything to her at first, they just kind of quietly took her and her son and immediately put them in like an unmarked white van.'
Ice confiscated Shaw's phone and transported the mother and son to the Dilley immigration processing center in south Texas, many states away from her home, Besancon said. Foreign nationals caught up in the Trump administration's immigration crackdown have similarly been transported to centres far from their homes, support networks and legal representation.
'It has been absolutely horrible,' Besancon said, adding that aside from the staff, Shaw and her son are the only English speakers, are locked in their shared bedroom from 8pm to 8am and are not allowed to wear their own clothes.
'It really is kind of like being in jail ... it has been absolutely devastating and it's kind of barbaric.'
Shaw is on what is known as a 'combo card' visa – an employment visa, which she obtained through her employment at a maximum security juvenile facility, and an I-360 visa, which can grant immigration status to domestic violence survivors.
Shaw had recently received a letter confirming her visa renewal, not realising that the I-360 element of her visa was still pending approval.
'It wasn't until she tried to come back across the border that she realised only half of the combination card – because it's only one physical card – had been fully approved,' said Besancon.
Border officials did not need to detain Shaw and could have filed for humanitarian parole, Besancon said. Meanwhile, all three of Shaw's children have had their I-360 visas approved, and Besancon alleged her youngest son was therefore being detained 'illegally'.
Besancon, a retired US Navy officer, said her country's treatment of Shaw and other immigrants was appalling.
'It's so heartbreaking now to see people who, like Sarah, are not only legal, but who are contributing to American society,' she said, adding that the situation is taking a huge financial and emotional toll on Shaw and her son.
'She gives therapy and counselling to some of our most at risk youth … and to be treated like a criminal herself has just been absolutely devastating.'
Shaw's case is the latest in a growing list of foreigners facing interrogation, detainment and deportations at the US border, including a British tourist, three Germans Lucas Sielaff, Fabian Schmidt and Jessica Brösche, and a Canadian and an Australian who were each held and then deported, despite having valid work visas.
The union representing Shaw, the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE), has called for her release.
'The trauma this has already caused for her and her son may never be healed,' said Mike Yestramski, the union's president and a psychiatric social worker at Western State hospital.
The union 'vehemently opposes Ice practices' and the broader immigration policies that enable them as they contradict American values and human rights, Yestramski said.
New Zealand's foreign affairs ministry said it is in contact with Shaw, but cannot comment further on the case due to privacy issues.
The Guardian has contacted Ice and the US embassy in New Zealand for comment.