Was treated like cattle: Newlywed bride recounts 140 days in ICE custody

India Today

8 hours ago

A newlywed Palestinian woman from Texas says she was treated like 'cattle' during 140 days in the US immigration detention after returning from her honeymoon. 22-year-old Ward Sakeik, who is stateless and married to a US citizen, was taken into custody by ICE at Miami International Airport in February and has now spoken publicly for the first time since her release.advertisement'I was just coming back from my honeymoon with my husband,' Sakeik said during an emotional press conference held Thursday in Dallas-Fort Worth. 'Instead, I was shackled, handcuffed for 16 hours without food or water, and moved around like cattle.'Sakeik, who has lived in the United States since she was eight years old and is married to US citizen Taahir Shaikh, said she and her husband purposely chose the US Virgin Islands for their honeymoon to avoid complications with international travel due to her pending green card application.
Despite those precautions, she was detained upon return, still wearing her wedding ring and carrying paperwork outlining her immigration status.The Department of Homeland Security defended its handling of the case, with Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stating, 'Any claim that there is a lack of food or subprime conditions at ICE detention centers are false. All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and the opportunity to communicate with family and lawyers.'Sakeik dismissed those claims. 'There were days I couldn't call my attorney or my husband for over 36 or even 50 hours,' she said. 'No phone calls were offered. I had to wait and find ways to delay just to access a working phone.'ICE attempted to deport her twice, most recently on June 30, both times in violation of federal court orders, according to her legal team. The first attempt, on June 12, involved escorting her to a tarmac at Fort Worth Alliance Airport and informing her she was being sent to 'the border of Israel,' despite her stateless status. She was born in Saudi Arabia but holds no citizenship in any country.'I didn't choose to be stateless,' she said. I've followed every immigration process since I was a child. I've built my life here, went to college, and started a small wedding photography business in Texas.'The government claims Sakeik has been under a final removal order for over a decade, and that her presence in the US is unlawful. 'Ward Sakeik was not complying with immigration policies,' McLaughlin said. 'She overstayed her visa and has been subject to removal since her family's asylum claim was denied.'Advocates, however, argue her treatment reflects broader problems with the Trump administration's intensified immigration policies during his second term. Over 100,000 people have already been deported this year, and ICE detention deaths are rising—12 confirmed since October 2024 alone. Critics accuse the administration of criminalizing undocumented individuals regardless of their unique circumstances.advertisementSakeik says she lost more than just time behind bars. 'I lost five months of my life. My humanity was stripped away. I was criminalized simply for being stateless and newly married.'Now reunited with her husband, she says she is determined to speak out for others who remain voiceless in the system. 'The America I believed in growing up isn't the America I experienced in detention,' she said.- EndsMust Watch