Latest news with #VictoriaBesancon
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Major update after Kiwi mum and her six-year-old son were detained in the US for three weeks: 'The war is not over'
A New Zealand woman and her six-year-old son who were subjected to 'horrific' conditions during a three-week detention at a US immigration centre have been released. Sarah Shaw, 33, who has lived in Washington State for three years, was detained along with her son Isaac while making a routine border crossing on July 24. Friend Victoria Besancon, who organised a GoFundMe campaign to support the family, wrote the pair had finally been released on Saturday. 'Thanks to all of your support and advocating Sarah and her son have been released!' Ms Besancon wrote on the fundraiser page. 'While her lawyer's words were 'the war is not over' and there are still legal battles to be had, this portion has been won! 'Thank you to everyone who supported, donated, and reached out. We will continue to update the story as it unfolds. But they are home safe and sound.' The pair were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on July 24 before being transported to the Dilley Immigration Processing Centre in South Texas. They had driven north to drop Ms Shaw's two eldest children at an airport in Vancouver to fly home to New Zealand and were detained on the return trip. Her father, Rod Price, told Radio New Zealand Ms Shaw managed to call him in the frantic moments before was locked up. 'She went to go back across into the US and then I got a frantic call to say that she's being detained and "they're about to take my phone off me" and "they're locking me up for the night",' Mr Price said. A New Zealand citizen, Ms Shaw lives in the US on a 'combo card' visa - which combines a work permit with an I-360 visa, available to survivors of domestic violence committed by a citizen. Ms Shaw, who works as a youth counsellor at a juvenile detention facility, legally obtained I-360 visas for all three of her children, including Isaac. Before making the journey, she received a letter confirming her work visa had been renewed, but didn't realise the I-360 visa approval was still pending. Ms Shaw requested humanitarian parole, an emergency pass into the US, but was told she wasn't eligible. 'Not only was she denied that right, but agents lied to her stating they had already requested it and she was denied. It was later confirmed that was a lie and no parole was filed or requested on her behalf,' Ms Besancon said. US Customs and Border Protection advises without both elements of the 'combo card', a person may face deportation as reentry is not guaranteed. Ms Besancon said the Kiwi mum was subjected to 'horrible, isolated conditions' in detention with 'extremely limited' access to communication. She said Ms Shaw was 'heartbroken' at the way other families were treated in the detention facility and hoped to work to assist them upon release. 'ICE needs to be held accountable and Sarah's rights, along with her children's well-being, needs to be protected. Ms Shaw's is only the latest case in a string of foreigners facing tough conditions at the US border, including Aussie Nikki Saroukos, 25, who told the Daily Mail she was detained, stripped and held overnight in Hawaii for 'having too much luggage'. A representative for the Washington Federation of State Employees, Ms Shaw's union, said she and her son had suffered a trauma that 'may never be healed'. Ms Besancon said she will continue to provide updates as the young family recovers and continues to engage with its lawyers. The GoFundMe campaign was arranged to fund the family's legal costs and living expenses while Ms Shaw is unable to work. It has so far raised more than AU$90,000.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- News.com.au
‘The war is not over': Sarah Shaw and her six-year-old son released from US detention centre
New Zealander Sarah Shaw and her six-year-old son have been released from a US immigration detainment centre after three gruelling weeks. The mum and son were detained during a routine border crossing from Canada to the US on July 24. It quickly turned into a nightmare when the pair were refused release. Their concerned loved ones described the incident as 'abuse and federal kidnapping', pleading for their safe return in the weeks since. Ms Shaw's friend Victoria Besancon, who set up a GoFundMe for them that has raised over $90,000, shared the good news via the page on Sunday morning. 'Thanks for all your support and advocating. Sarah and her son have been released. While her lawyer's words were 'the war is not over' and there are still legal battles to be had, this portion has been won,' Ms Besancon's update read. 'Thank you to everyone who has supported, donated and reached out. We will continue to update the story as it unfolds but they are home safe and sound.' Ms Shaw and her son were detained by immigration and customs enforcement on July 24 and then transported to the Dilley Immigration Processing Centre in South Texas. The 33-year-old, who has lived in the US since 2021 and works in juvenile detention, was returning from dropping her two eldest children at the airport in Vancouver, as they were catching a direct flight to visit their grandparents in New Zealand. While trying to return to the US, Ms Shaw was unexpectedly detained because she hadn't realised part of her Visa was still pending. Ms Shaw is on a 'combo card' visa – a two-in-one card that works as a work visa, and a 1-360 visa, which can grant immigration status to domestic violence survivors. She had received a letter confirming her visa renewal, but hadn't realised that the 1-360 element of her Visa was still pending approval. Ms Shaw requested humanitarian parole – an emergency pass into the US – which Ms Besancon argued should have been approved, despite the minor clerical error in her paperwork. Without both elements of the 'combo card', re-entry into the US is not guaranteed. Ms Besancon slammed the decision not to release the mum immediately. 'Not only was she denied that right, but agents lied to her stating they had already requested it and she was denied. It was later confirmed that was a lie and no parole was filed or requested on her behalf,' she said. According to US Customs and Border Protection, a person without this documentation may be 'found inadmissable' and therefore deported, 'their applications may be denied and they may face abandonment of their pending application'. Ms Shaw's father, Rod Price, told Radio New Zealand that his daughter was shocked to be detained and managed to ring him before she 'locked up'. 'She went to go back across into the US and then I got a frantic call to say that she's being detained and 'they're about to take my phone off me' and 'they're locking me up for the night',' he said. Ms Besancon told her friend's experience is proof that the US has 'increasingly aggressive' attitudes towards immigration. 'I would strongly caution anyone outside of America from travelling and crossing borders right now,' she said. 'The state of our country and its attitude towards immigration is becoming increasingly aggressive. Due to our current administration, I personally feel there has been a large emboldening of racist communities within the United States. 'I love my country, but my country was built on immigration. I absolutely support those who want to come to our country to work and establish a life here. That is how America was founded and I believe that's how it should continue.'
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
New Zealand woman and six-year-old son released from US detention
A New Zealand woman who was held for more than three weeks at a US immigration centre with her six-year-old son after they were detained crossing the Canada-US border has been released. In a short update on Saturday, the woman's friend Victoria Besancon said Sarah Shaw and her son were now safely home. The family would be taking some time to settle in before speaking about their experience. Shaw, 33, who has lived in Washington state for just over three years, and her son were detained when she attempted to re-enter the US after dropping 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. 'She went to go back across into the US and then I got a frantic call to say that she's being detained and 'they're about to take my phone off me' and 'they're locking me up for the night',' Shaw's father, Rod Price told local broadcaster RNZ. It was a 'terrifying' ordeal, said Besancon, who had helped to raise money for Shaw's legal fight. 'Sarah thought she was being kidnapped,' Besancon told the Guardian this week. '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.' Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) confiscated Shaw's phone and transported the mother and son to the Dilley immigration processing centre 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. An Ice spokesperson said: 'The Dilley detention center is retrofitted for families. Adults with children are housed in facilities that provide for their safety, security and medical needs.' They added that 'parents, who are here illegally, can take control of their departure' by self-deporting through a government-issued app. Shaw is on 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. 'It has been absolutely horrible,' Besancon said, adding that aside from the staff, Shaw and her son were the only English speakers. She said they were locked in their shared bedroom from 8pm to 8am and not allowed to wear their own clothes. Besancon described the experience as 'absolutely devastating' and 'barbaric.' A spokesperson for US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said: 'When someone with an expired parole leaves the country and tries to re-enter the US, they will be stopped in compliance with our laws and regulations. If they are accompanied by a minor, CBP will follow all protocols to keep families together or arrange care with a legal guardian. Immigration law will be enforced, and our officers and agents will act accordingly.' 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), had 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.
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
How a quick trip to B.C. landed a woman and her child in a Texas detention facility
A woman who made what she thought would be a quick cross-border trip has been locked up in a Texas detention centre for three weeks with her young son. Sarah Shaw moved from New Zealand to Washington state with her three young kids in 2021. She lives in Everett and works for the state government. After she divorced the man who sponsored her, Shaw was able to stay in the U.S. with what's known as a combination card visa, which recently came up for renewal. 'Sarah's work portion was approved. But they didn't actually articulate to her that the travel portion was still pending,' said Shaw's friend Victoria Besancon. 'They just sent her the renewed visa, and told her she was good to go.' So, Shaw figured she could cross the land border into B.C., drop her two youngest kids off at Vancouver International Airport for a flight to New Zealand to visit their grandparents and then drive back home with her six-year-old son Isaac. 'It was upon trying to re-enter the United States that suddenly everything went wrong,' said Besancon. Shaw and her son were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on July 24. She told her friend they were placed in an unmarked white van. 'She thought she was being kidnapped. Honestly, she didn't have a whole lot explained to her in the beginning, and she was absolutely terrified,' said Besancon. Eventually, ICE agents told her because one part of her combination visa was still pending, she had invalidated it by briefly leaving the U.S. 'Very much like prison' Canadian-born immigration lawyer Len Saunders, who now lives and works in Blaine, Wash., said what happened to Shaw and her son used to be unheard of. 'In the past in a case like this, they would parole the person back in and have them fix whatever's lacking, and they'd be on their way. They would never been detained like this,' said Saunders. 'I'm shocked at the overzealousness that's happening.' Mother and son were sent to a family immigration detention centre in south Texas. They've now been there for three weeks, sharing a room with a dozen other detainees. 'Those rooms are locked from 8 p.m. until 8 a.m. There is a singular phone. There is a shared bathroom. It's very much like prison,' said Besancon. Saunders says what happened to the Shaws is a reminder that under President Donald Trump, it is not business as usual at the Canada-U.S. border. 'It's exhausting hearing all these stories,' said Saunders. 'If someone's lacking documents or doesn't have the proper passport or re-entry permits, instead of maybe having some discretion there, they're just detaining them and deporting people.' Pressure for release Fearing she would be deported, Shaw's friends contacted the media, and her colleagues in the Washington state government contacted ICE. 'There has been a huge amount of pressure on the facility from Washington representatives, from various news outlets for the release of Isaac, as well as the parole of Sarah. And thankfully, with all of the support that she has been given, they are releasing her and she will be able to come home this week,' said Besancon. While Shaw expects she will be able to get her paperwork order to remain in the U.S., the single mom won't be making any more trips to Canada. 'Sarah is very wary about ever crossing the border again,' said Besancon.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
New Zealand woman and six-year-old son detained for three weeks by Ice in US enduring ‘terrifying' ordeal
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.
