Heartbreaking Journey: New Zealand Mom and Her 6-Year-Old Son Detained by ICE After Brief Trip to Canada | CNN

A short trip to Canada turned into a difficult situation for a mother and her son when they were detained by U.S. immigration officials. Sarah Shaw, a New Zealand citizen living in Washington, found herself in a tough spot after trying to return from dropping her older children off at the airport in Vancouver.

Shaw, 33, has lived in the U.S. since 2021. She planned the direct flight from Vancouver to make travel simpler for her kids. However, she wasn’t aware that her re-entry permit had expired. This oversight led to her and her son being taken into custody at the Blaine, Washington, border checkpoint.

After detaining them, officials transported Shaw and her son to a family detention center in Dilley, Texas—over 2,000 miles from home. Her immigration attorney, Minda Thorward, highlighted how Shaw’s attempt to secure humanitarian parole to return home with her son was denied. Furthermore, requests to let a friend or her boyfriend pick up her son were also turned down.

Shaw had been actively trying to renew her immigration status. After coming to the U.S. as a tourist, she got married but later divorced. She filed an I-360 petition in April 2022, which has not yet been resolved.

Living in the U.S. under a “combo card,” a document that allows both work and travel, Shaw had renewed her work permit but overlooked her travel permit because of a lack of immediate travel plans—an apparently minor mistake that created a major issue.

Thorward stressed that Shaw had rebuilt her life in the U.S.—working full time, getting a dog, and providing a stable environment for her children. Now, her son has been struggling with the abrupt end to his summer vacation, confined to a facility that doesn’t cater well to children.

Conditions in the Dilley center have been challenging. Shaw’s friend, Victoria Besancon, described it as cramped and isolating. Detainees often feel the heat of summer without proper outdoor time, and activities, including coloring, are limited.

Shaw’s situation is not isolated. Families in similar circumstances have shared traumatic experiences, frequently reporting lasting psychological impacts on children.

According to a recent report from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), family detention centers can have detrimental effects on mental health. Even with claims from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about safety standards in these facilities, many question the true conditions, especially for children.

Shaw’s experience might shine a light on the larger issues surrounding immigration policy and family detention in the U.S. As she hopes for a swift release to continue her life and studies, it also raises heart-wrenching questions about fairness and compassion in the immigration process.

For more information on the impacts of family detention, you can refer to the latest findings from the ACLU.

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