A Quick Trip Turns into a Three-Week Detention Nightmare
What was meant to be a short and simple cross-border trip has turned into a weeks-long ordeal for New Zealand woman Sarah Shaw and her six-year-old son. The trouble began on July 24, when Shaw crossed from Canada back into the United States after dropping her two older children at Vancouver airport so they could fly to New Zealand to visit their grandparents. She expected to drive home to Washington state. Instead, she ended up in a Texas immigration detention facility.
Her father, Rod Price, recalls getting a frantic phone call that day. Sarah told him she was being detained, that officers were about to take her phone, and that she was being locked up for the night. The call ended abruptly. Soon after, her phone was confiscated, and she and her son were transported thousands of kilometres away to the Dilley immigration processing centre in southern Texas.
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For three weeks, the pair have been held there. Friends and family describe the experience as terrifying—“kind of like being in jail,” one friend said—and emotionally devastating. Shaw’s friend Victoria Besancon explained that documents suggesting she would soon be released had been received, but her lawyer was still waiting for official confirmation from the facility. Shaw’s father said there was a 90% chance she might be freed by Friday, New Zealand time.
The reason for her detention appears to be an administrative technicality. Shaw has lived in Washington for more than three years and holds what’s called a “combo card,” which includes work authorisation and is tied to her approved I-360 petition—a process that can grant immigration status to survivors of domestic violence. While she had recently received a letter confirming her combo card renewal, the I-360 portion was still pending. That oversight meant her re-entry into the U.S. triggered a stop at the border.
Her lawyer, Minda Thorward, said border officials had the discretion to parole her back into the U.S., pointing out that her children had the proper documents and that there was no reason for her young son to be detained. Immigration authorities, however, maintained that U.S. law requires anyone with an expired parole to be stopped and processed.
New Zealand’s foreign affairs ministry confirmed it was in contact with Shaw but could not comment further for privacy reasons. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement emphasised that they aim to provide safe and humane environments for those in custody.
Shaw’s situation is not isolated. In recent months, foreign nationals from countries including the U.K., Germany, Canada, and Australia have been detained or deported at U.S. borders, sometimes despite having valid visas. For Sarah Shaw, what began as an ordinary drive home has turned into an unexpected fight for freedom—one she hopes will end very soon.
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