Sarah Shaw, the New Zealand woman detained at the US-Canada border, and her son are set to be released from US immigration custody.
Her lawyer confirmed her parole request had been granted, and Washington Federation of State Employees’ Mike Yestramski said a flight back to the state from Texas, where Shaw and her six-year-old son, Isaac were being held, had been booked for the coming days.
Shaw had taken her two older children to Vancouver so they could catch a direct flight back to New Zealand on July 24 to visit family, and she then planned to travel back to her home in Washington with her younger son.
They were stopped at the border by immigration agents, who said there was a problem with her documents. The pair were immediately detained.
Shaw’s lawyer, Minda Thorward, told local media at the time that she had a temporary immigration document that allowed her to travel and re-enter the US, but had been an “administrative error” with it.
Shaw and her son were then transferred to a facility in South Texas – one of only two that can house families together.
Shaw and her son shared a room with four other families, and were among the only detainees who spoke English.
Seattle media site KING5 said Shaw immigrated to the United States three and a half years ago with her then-husband as her sponsor. They subsequently divorced and while this can jeopardise a green card application, Shaw was able to reapply independently under guidelines for survivors of domestic abuse, KING5 said.
Shaw had been working at a juvenile care facility run by Washington State.
Her detainment came as immigration officials in the US ramped up their efforts under President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. This had led to people being detained who were typically not under previous administrations.
