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New Zealand Mother and Son Freed After Weeks in U.S. Family Detention

Their release follows government refusals of humanitarian parole, highlighting how split renewals of work and travel authorizations can trap lawful residents in detention

Sarah Shaw and her 6-year-old son have spent over three weeks in US immigration detention. CNN obscured portions of this photo to protect the identity of minors.
Immigrants walk through the ICE South Texas Family Residential Center , in Dilley, Texas on August 23, 2019.
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Overview

  • On July 24 Sarah Shaw was flagged at the Blaine land border for an expired travel authorization even though her work permit had been renewed under a combined “combo card.”
  • U.S. Customs and Border Protection transferred Shaw and her son to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, where they endured more than three weeks in locked rooms with minimal activities for children.
  • Shaw’s requests for humanitarian parole and approval for her boyfriend or a friend to pick up her son were rejected, keeping both in custody far from home.
  • Her I-360 petition filed under the Violence Against Women Act remains pending, leaving her future in the United States uncertain despite her established life in Washington.
  • Legal advocates, her union and New Zealand consular officials lobbied for her release as an example of families entangled in strict immigration enforcement over minor paperwork errors.