A New Zealand woman and her six-year-old son are being held in a US immigration facility after being detained while re-entering the United States from Canada, a situation her supporters say is unjust and unnecessarily harsh.
Sarah Shaw, 33, has lived in Washington state for more than three years, working at a maximum security juvenile facility.
On 24 July, she drove to Vancouver airport to drop off her two older children for a holiday with their grandparents in New Zealand.
When she attempted to return to the US, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stopped her and placed her and her youngest child into custody.
Her friend and advocate, Victoria Besancon, described the incident as frightening and disorienting for Shaw, who was placed in an unmarked van, had her phone confiscated, and was transported thousands of kilometres to the Dilley immigration processing centre in southern Texas.
The facility, she said, locks detainees in their rooms from 8pm to 8am and does not allow them to wear their own clothing.
Shaw holds a “combo card” visa, which combines an employment permit with an I-360 visa application for domestic violence survivors.
While she believed her visa renewal had been completed, only the employment portion had been approved, leaving the I-360 application pending.
Besancon argued that border officials could have granted humanitarian parole rather than detaining her.
She also said Shaw’s youngest son, whose own visa has been approved, is being held without legal grounds.
The Washington Federation of State Employees, Shaw’s union, has called for her immediate release, condemning ICE’s handling of the case.
Union president Mike Yestramski said the detention has caused severe emotional trauma to Shaw and her son and is inconsistent with American values and human rights.
Shaw’s case is among a number of recent detentions involving foreign nationals with valid visas, including citizens from the UK, Germany, Canada, and Australia.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed it is in contact with her but declined further comment, citing privacy. ICE and the US embassy in New Zealand have not responded to requests for comment.