Mother from New Zealand and her 6-year-old son were temporarily held by ICE upon their arrival in Canada, enduring a weeks-long detention.
In a controversial move, Sarah Shaw, a New Zealand citizen, was detained by US immigration authorities for over three weeks after returning from Canada. The detention occurred at the Blaine, Washington, Customs and Border Protection checkpoint.
Shaw arrived in the US as a tourist in 2021 and married a US citizen the same year. She has lived legally in the US since then. However, her detention was due to an expired travel permit that allowed her to exit and re-enter the US.
Thorward, a CBP spokesperson, confirmed that individuals with expired parole trying to re-enter the US would be detained in compliance with immigration laws. Despite this, Thorward stated that border officials had the discretion to grant Shaw humanitarian parole instead of detaining her. However, Shaw's request for humanitarian parole was denied.
Shaw's son, whose immigration documents were valid, was also detained. The three-week detention has been a challenging experience for Shaw and her son. "My son has been very sad he lost his summer vacation to being locked in the facility," Shaw shared.
Shaw has spent these weeks in a cramped detention facility. Each room in the facility contains 5 to 6 bunk beds and is locked from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. Despite the challenging conditions, Shaw has managed to make her son feel a bit more at home by using commissary funds to buy ice cream and colored pencils.
The detention of Shaw and her son is an example of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown that has affected lawful residents. Other mothers who have been detained with their children at family migrant facilities have described their experiences as traumatic and said they will have lasting psychological effects on children.
The South Texas Family Residential Center, one of the largest of its kind in the US, primarily houses migrant women and children. The center reopened in March under an agreement between a private prison operator and ICE, with a capacity to detain up to 2,400 people. Shaw was transported to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, after her detention at the Blaine checkpoint.
Humanitarian parole procedures for individuals in US immigration detention, particularly families and children, involve a discretionary grant by immigration authorities allowing entry or temporary stay in the US on urgent humanitarian grounds, such as emergencies or family reunification. This process is separate from formal admission and is typically initiated using Form I-131 (Application for Travel Documents). Decisions can be influenced by circumstances like urgent medical needs, family emergencies, or extenuating country conditions.
Sarah Shaw's case highlights the importance of these humanitarian parole procedures and the need for their fair application. Thorward described the detention of Shaw and her son as "inappropriate" and "inhumane". The ongoing litigation challenges policies that abruptly terminate these parole processes, with concerns about undermining safe pathways for families and harming parole beneficiaries.
- Amidst protests and general-news discussions about the controversial detention of New Zealand citizen Sarah Shaw and her son, questions have arisen about the application of US immigration laws and humanitarian parole procedures for lawful residents.
- As US politics continue to shape immigration policies, the case of Sarah Shaw serves as a poignant example of the need for fair and humane treatment under these procedures, with concerns raised about inappropriate detention conditions and the potential psychological effects on children.
