The family of Sarah Shaw, a New Zealand woman detained with her 6-year-old son Isaac by U.S. immigration authorities, is hopeful for their release by the end of the week following what her attorney described as an “administrative error.” Shaw and Isaac were stopped at the U.S.-Canada border on July 24 as they returned from dropping her older children off at the airport in Vancouver for a trip to visit grandparents in New Zealand.
Shaw, a mother of three who moved to the U.S. over three years ago under her then-husband’s sponsorship, is currently applying for legal permanent residency independently due to domestic abuse issues. She holds a temporary immigration document, known as a “combo card,” permitting employment and international travel, but the travel portion was still awaiting approval at the time of her detention. Her attorney, Minda Thorward, noted that while Shaw’s work authorization had been renewed, this discrepancy led to the detention.
Despite having a valid travel document, Isaac was also detained with Shaw, and the two were sent to an immigration facility in Texas that is one of only two in the U.S. accommodating families. Thorward criticized the detention as “unconscionable” and stated that immigration authorities have the discretion to release them.
Shaw’s father, Rod Price, expressed optimism about their release, estimating a “90% chance” it would happen soon, otherwise, Shaw will appear before a judge later this month. Shaw works as a youth counselor in Washington, while her older children are currently staying with her father in New Zealand until her situation is resolved. Requests for comment from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the U.S. Embassy in New Zealand, and ICE were not immediately answered.
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