Mother and 6-Year-Old Boy Released from US Immigration Detention After 3 Weeks over Travel Permit Error

A 33-year-old New Zealand citizen residing legally in the United States since 2021, Sarah Shaw, was released alongside her six-year-old son after spending over three weeks in U.S. immigration detention following a minor oversight with travel documents and a brief trip to Canada.

Shaw, who lives in Washington state, was held at the Blaine Customs and Border Protection checkpoint upon returning from dropping off her older children at Vancouver Airport for a flight to visit their grandparents in New Zealand. Unbeknownst to Shaw, her travel permit had expired, leading to her detention alongside her son, whose immigration documents were valid.

Faced with the denial of humanitarian parole and being separated from her son due to outdated documentation, Shaw sought help from CBP authorities, but her requests were declined. They were subsequently transferred to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, approximately 2,000 miles from their home.

Sarah’s detention serves as an example of the Trump administration’s stricter immigration policies, which have resulted in lawful residents like Shaw being swept up in their enforcement efforts that prioritize criminal offenders.

Upon arriving in the U.S. as a tourist in 2021, Sarah married a citizen and subsequently filed an I-360 petition in April 2022, with her application still under review due to multiple delays. Shaw had been living in the U.S. using a ‘combo card,’ a dual document serving as both work permit and travel document, which she secured through her job in Washington state.

However, when it came time to renew both components of the combo card, Shaw only paid for the work permit renewal since she had no plans for travel at the moment due to its expense. In June, Shaw received confirmation of her work permit renewal but mistakenly believed that it also extended her travel authorization, resulting in a paperwork error.

Now settled with a full-time job, apartment, new boyfriend, and children attending school, Sarah expressed concern about being released from detention in time to begin her master’s program in psychology at Northwest University this month. Her attorney reported that border officials had the discretion to grant Shaw humanitarian parole instead of detaining her due to her clean record and lawful status in the country.

Shaw’s son has spent three weeks in a crowded detention facility, feeling “incredibly isolated” according to a friend, Victoria Besancon. The facility features cramped quarters with 5-6 bunk beds per room, which are locked from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. Shaw’s son has been affected by the loss of his summer vacation and the confinement, but she has attempted to make him more comfortable with ice cream and colored pencils purchased using commissary funds.

The South Texas Family Residential Center, one of the largest facilities of its kind in the U.S., primarily houses migrant women and children. After closing last year, it reopened in March under a contract between a private prison operator and ICE, capable of detaining up to 2,400 individuals.

Other mothers who have been detained with their children at family migrant facilities have reported traumatic experiences that will likely have lasting psychological effects on the children. ICE claims the detention centers are safe and compliant with safety and health standards for family residential centers as outlined on their website.