A newlywed was shackled by ICE officers after her US honeymoon: ‘Moved like cattle, no food or water'

Indian Express

13 hours ago

A newlywed Palestinian woman from Texas says she was shackled, denied food and water, and 'moved around like cattle' during nearly five months in US immigration custody, all for being stateless.
Ward Sakeik, 22, who has lived in the United States since she was eight years old, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in February while returning from her honeymoon in the US Virgin Islands. Despite a court order barring her deportation, she remained in detention for 140 days until her release earlier this week.
'I did lose five months of my life because I was criminalised for being stateless, something that I absolutely have no control over,' Sakeik said during a press conference in Texas on Thursday, according to an ABC News report. 'Humanity was stripped away from me.'
After her detention, the US government attempted to deport her twice. During the first attempt, she was told she would be taken to the Israeli border, at the very moment Israel was launching airstrikes on Iran. The second time, authorities again moved to deport her, despite a judge's order explicitly prohibiting her removal from Texas.
'I was moved around like cattle and the US government attempted to dump me in part of the world where I don't know where I'm going and what I'm doing or anything,' Sakeik said.
As per a report in The Guardian, Sakeik was born in Saudi Arabia to a family originally from Gaza, but because the kingdom does not grant citizenship to children of foreign nationals, she entered the US with her family in 2011 on a tourist visa. The family later applied for asylum. Though she was issued a deportation order as a child, she was allowed to remain in the country under an 'order of supervision,' a designation that allowed her to work and regularly check in with immigration authorities.
Over the years, Sakeik graduated from high school, earned a degree from the University of Texas at Arlington, and built, what she called 'a successful wedding photography business'. Earlier this year, she married 28-year-old Taahir Shaikh, a US citizen, and filed for a green card. The initial phase of her application was approved while she remained in detention.
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ICE tried to deport her again, in violation of the court order and existing protections under the Biden administration's Deferred and Forced Departure (DED) policy for Palestinians, according to her attorneys.
'She had the right to travel to a US territory, which is what she did,' said attorney Maria Kari. 'This young couple researched their options, they went to the US Virgin Islands, a domestic flight, yet here we are with Ward having spent nearly five months in detention as a result.'
The Department of Homeland Security was quote in The Guardian as claiming that Sakeik was flagged because she 'chose to fly over international waters and outside the US customs zone' and was stopped by Customs and Border Protection while attempting to re-enter the continental US.
However, the US Virgin Islands are a US territory, and no passport is required for travel there.
'The facts are: she is in our country illegally. She overstayed her visa and has had a final order by an immigration judge for over a decade,' said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
Sakeik described the conditions at the Prairieland Detention Center in Texas, from where she was released on Tuesday, as 'inhumane,' citing dirty bathrooms, rusted beds, and insect infestations. 'The restrooms are also very, very, very much unhygienic. The beds have rust everywhere, are not properly maintained — ants, cockroaches, grasshoppers, spiders all over the facility. Girls will get bit. Girls will wake up with giant bruises,' she said.
A DHS official told ABC News that Sakeik was released after she filed the proper applications to adjust her status based on her marriage. Her attorneys rejected that explanation, saying ICE continued to pursue her deportation even after learning her green card petition had been approved.
'We thought the US government didn't recognise Palestine as a country,' said attorney Eric Lee. 'Apparently, that wasn't a problem when they tried to deport her there…to a place that's experiencing a genocide.'
Sakeik's family remains stateless, and she is still navigating the legal process to gain permanent residency. In the meantime, she says she plans to advocate for others in ICE custody.
'Women come here seeking a better life, but they're criminalised for that. They are dehumanised, and they're stripped away from their rights. We have been treated as a 'less-than' just simply for wanting a better life,' she said. 'I want to speak up for those who are still inside.'