Sarah Shaw, a New Zealand citizen residing legally in the US since 2021, was detained at a Customs and Border Protection checkpoint in Blaine, Washington. This occurred as she returned home after accompanying her two oldest children to the Vancouver airport for their flight to visit their grandparents in New Zealand. Shaw opted for the direct flight from Vancouver, as she wanted to avoid her children navigating a layover without assistance, according to her attorney, Minda Thorward.
However, Shaw was unaware that her travel permit had expired, leading to her and her son, who had valid immigration documents, being taken into custody. Despite Shaw’s attempts to obtain humanitarian parole to facilitate her re-entry into the US, her request was denied. She also sought permission for a friend or her boyfriend to pick up her son but faced a similar rejection.
Both were subsequently transported to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, around 3,218 km from home. Shaw’s case exemplifies the ongoing immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, which, contrary to its stated focus on violent offenders, has apprehended lawful residents like her.
Shaw came to the US as a tourist in 2021 and married a citizen that same year, but the marriage ended shortly thereafter. She filed an I-360 petition in April 2022, but it remains pending due to bureaucratic delays. Living under a “combo card” which served as both a work and travel permit, Shaw had renewed her work permit while neglecting to renew her travel authorisation, mistakenly believing it would automatically renew alongside the work permit.
Shaw has built a stable life in the US, with a full-time job, an apartment, and children successfully integrated into local schools. Nevertheless, she now worries about the potential impact of her detention on her aspirations to start a master’s in psychology at Northwest University.
Her lawyer argues that Shaw’s detention was unnecessary and inhumane, stating that she has been compliant with immigration laws. A spokesperson for CBP clarified that individuals with expired travel permission would be detained, but protocols are followed to ensure family unity when minors are involved.
For the past three weeks, Shaw has been living in cramped conditions, feeling isolated. Friends report her son is struggling with the reality of losing his summer due to their detention, although Shaw tries to make his time there more bearable by using commissary funds. The detention centre, housing primarily migrant women and children, has faced criticism for its conditions, with reports of psychological distress among its young detainees.