A young Kiwi mum and her six-year-old son, who were detained at the US-Canada border and held for weeks, have been released from ICE custody.
A friend of Sarah Shaw told 1News she had landed in Washington state and was now home safely. They said she intended to speak about her experiences at a later date.
Shaw and her son, Isaac, who flew home from a Texas facility, were detained three weeks ago after dropping her other children off in Vancouver to catch a flight.
On July 24, the mother had taken her two older children to the Canadian city so they could catch a direct flight back to New Zealand to visit family. It was previously reported that she then planned to travel back to her home in Washington with her younger son.
Both were then 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 there had been an “administrative error” with it.
Sarah Shaw and her six-year-old son have been detained by US immigration officials after she tried to return to America from a trip to Canada. (Source: 1News)
Shaw and her son were then transferred to a facility in South Texas – one of only two that can house families together. She and her son shared a room with four other families, and were among the only detainees who spoke English.
Her detainment came as immigration officials in the US ramped up their efforts under President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. This has led to people being detained who typically were not detained under previous administrations.
‘Terrifying’ experience with US immigration authorities
A friend previously told 1News Shaw was “absolutely terrified” when she and her son were bundled into a giant white van with no markings on it at the Canadian border.
“I remember her on the phone being absolutely panicked. She originally thought she was being kidnapped, she didn’t even realise she was being detained originally.”
The conditions she was being held in were “very similar to a prison,” they said.
“She is in a locked room with five bunk beds, she’s allowed to walk around the facility from 8am to 8pm, but outside of that, she is locked in a cell with other families.”
A graduate student working towards her master’s degree and working for the state in corrections, Shaw had lived in the US for the past three years. Shaw was working at a juvenile care facility run by Washington state.
