Honeymoon turns into nightmare as woman ends up in ICE detention for months
A newlywed has ended her honeymoon period with the threat of deportation.
What began as a honeymoon soon turned into a nightmare for 22-year-old Ward Sakeik and her new husband, Taahir Shaikh.
The couple met three years ago and recently tied the knot before setting off on a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands. But upon their return, Ward Sakeik was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and has since been held in custody for several months.
Sakeik is stateless—she holds no citizenship in any country. Born in Saudi Arabia, which does not grant citizenship at birth to those not born to Saudi nationals, she arrived in the United States 14 years ago with her family, when she was just eight years old.
“Fourteen years ago, my wife had no agency in the decision. She had no idea what was happening. All she knew was that they had refugee status in Saudi Arabia, they weren’t granted any form of citizenship, and their work authorisation was being revoked,” Shaikh explained.
‘The only reason your plane didn’t come is because Israel bombed Iran last night’
The family had travelled from the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip in Palestine, arriving in the U.S. on travel visas and subsequently seeking asylum. According to ABC, “Sakeik’s asylum case was denied, and she and her family were issued deportation orders.”
However, as Saudi Arabia, Israel, and neighbouring countries were reportedly unwilling to accept Sakeik and her family, they were allowed to remain in the U.S. under an ‘order of supervision’—a status that permitted them to work legally.
The case soon took an even more troubling turn. According to Shaikh, the U.S. government attempted to deport Sakeik without disclosing her intended destination. She told ABC that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer informed her she was being taken to the Israeli border, only for her to learn later that this was just hours before Israel launched airstrikes on Iran. Fortunately, she was instead transferred to Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas.
“An ICE officer came the next morning and said, ‘The only reason your plane didn’t arrive is because Israel bombed Iran last night, and a safety protocol halted all flights into Israel,’” Shaikh told ABC.
“She’s in a procedural black hole because she’s not even eligible for bond,” Shaikh said. “They’re claiming that when she was eight years old, she already received her due process in court. She doesn’t even remember what a courtroom looks like.”
“My wife has tried every possible route to adjust her status. Now that she’s finally at the finish line and has a path to lawful permanent residency, they’ve taken it away from her,” he added.
Before their trip, the couple had consulted with the ICE processing centre, a Transportation Security Administration representative, and an airline official—all of whom assured them there would be no issues. Yet on the return flight, Sakeik was handcuffed aboard the aircraft and flown back while in custody.
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