Arlington female openly discusses her encounter with ICE following her honeymoon
In a dramatic turn of events, Ward Sakeik, a 22-year-old woman of Palestinian descent, found herself in the midst of a heated immigration battle upon her return from her honeymoon in February. Sakeik, a wedding photographer and a U.S. green card applicant, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) due to complex issues surrounding her immigration status.
Born in Saudi Arabia to a Palestinian refugee family, Sakeik is considered stateless. This status, coupled with a decade-old final order of removal from an immigration judge, placed her in a precarious position. Her family had initially sought asylum in the U.S., but overstayed their tourist visa according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Sakeik's I-130 form, the first step in getting a green card for someone without legal status who's married to a U.S. citizen, was approved on June 27. However, her immigration case remains pending, with her attorneys expecting it to continue as normal.
The controversy surrounding Sakeik's detention escalated when her legal team claimed that ICE attempted to deport her twice, once in violation of a federal court order. These actions were criticized as illegal and reflecting a disregard for constitutional rights.
Sakeik was handcuffed for 16 hours without food or water on the bus to a detention center in Florida after being detained at a Miami airport. She described the women in immigration detention as mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, and superheroes.
Despite the challenges, Sakeik remains determined. Upon her release, she vowed to continue advocating for the women she befriended in detention, including Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian woman from New Jersey.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not provided clarification on Sakeik's case or whether any international travel can trigger being flagged by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). The DHS also did not comment on why Sakeik was released.
This story was reported by Toluwani Osibamowo, who can be contacted at [email protected] or followed on Twitter @tosibamowo.
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[1] Immigration Judge's Final Order of Removal [2] I-130 Approval for Green Card Application [3] Legal Challenges to Deportation Attempts [4] Release from Detention Following Public and Legal Pressure
The government's handling of Ward Sakeik's immigration case, a Palestinian-American woman, has been the center of heated politics, with the news of her detention and controversial deportation attempts causing a stir within the community. The general-news media has been reporting on the legal battles surrounding Sakeik's green card application and the alleged violations of her constitutional rights.
