Newlywed bride’s honeymoon ends with months of ICE detention and the possibility of deportation via NewsFlicks

Taahir Shaikh wanted headshots for his new process, so he arrange an appointment with a photographer named Ward Sakeik. One appointment changed into 3 picture shoots, and the 2 simply saved speaking.

3 years later, the newlywed couple used to be elated to head on their honeymoon.

However after spending 9 days within the U.S. Virgin Islands, the couple’s travel ended with Sakeik, 22, being detained for what has develop into months in numerous U.S. immigration detention facilities.

Sakeik, whose circle of relatives is from Gaza however is legally stateless, has lived within the U.S. since she used to be 8, when her circle of relatives travelled to the U.S. on a vacationer visa and implemented for asylum, consistent with her husband. Whilst she used to be issued a deportation order greater than a decade in the past, Sakeik used to be authorised to stick within the U.S. beneath what is referred to as an “order of supervision,” by which she frequently checked in with federal immigration government and is authorized paintings authorization, consistent with her legal professional and husband.

On the St. Thomas Airport, because the couple ready to go back house on Feb. 11, Sakeik used to be detained via U.S. Customs and Border Coverage — and has been held in custody within the months since.

Then, remaining week, the federal government tried to deport Sakeik with out informing her the place she used to be being despatched, consistent with Shaikh. Sakeik says an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer informed her she used to be being taken to the Israel border, he mentioned. After she waited within the airport for 2 hours, she used to be despatched again to Prairieland Detention Heart in Alvarado, Texas, the place she had just lately been transferred.

She later came upon this used to be simply hours sooner than Israel introduced airstrikes on Iran, Shaikh mentioned.

Now, going through a nonetheless unsure long term, his spouse’s circle of relatives is “anxious past creativeness,” Shaikh, a U.S. citizen, informed ABC Information.

“She’s in a procedural black hollow as a result of she’s now not even eligible for a bond,” Shaikh mentioned. “They are pronouncing ‘while you have been 8 years previous, you already got your due procedure in courtroom.’ She does not even be mindful what a court looks as if.”

Stateless

Sakeik does now not have citizenship in any nation, consistent with her legal professional, Waled Elsaban, and her husband. She used to be born in Saudi Arabia, which doesn’t assign citizenship at delivery to someone who isn’t born to Saudi electorate. Sakeik, whose circle of relatives is from the Gaza Strip, hasn’t ever been to the Palestinian enclave, and she or he used to be now not in a position to acquire prison standing or citizenship from there both, her legal professional mentioned.

The circle of relatives got here to the U.S. 14 years in the past, when she used to be simply 8 years previous, Shaikh mentioned.

“Fourteen years in the past, my spouse has no company within the determination. She has no thought what is going down. All she is aware of is that that they had refugee standing in Saudi Arabia, they were not given any degree of citizenship [and] their paintings authorization used to be being stripped from Saudi Arabia,” Shaikh mentioned.

The circle of relatives got here to the U.S. on shuttle visas and sought asylum, Shaikh mentioned.

Years later, Sakeik’s asylum case used to be denied and she or he and her circle of relatives have been issued deportation orders. Since Saudi Arabia, Israel and neighboring international locations have been unwilling to simply accept Sakeik and her circle of relatives, they have been authorised to stick within the U.S. beneath an “order of supervision” — a classification that equipped them paintings lets in. They have been additionally required to frequently take a look at in with ICE, consistent with Shaikh and Elsaban.

Within the years since she used to be denied asylum, Sakeik and her circle of relatives have explored a number of pathways to acquire visas or citizenship within the U.S., together with Deferred Motion for Early life Arrivals (DACA) and sponsorship, however they have been unsuccessful, her husband mentioned.

“There may be many tales similar to my spouse’s case, the place the native immigration courts have accredited it, and for no matter explanation why, whether or not it used to be the legal professional or the prison staff on the time, whether or not it used to be only a subject of the pass judgement on that had their case at the docket, they have been denied,” Shaikh mentioned.

“My spouse has attempted each and every direction to regulate her standing. Now that she’s in the end on the end line and she or he has a technique to get lawful everlasting place of abode, they stripped it from her,” Shaikh mentioned.

Detained on the airport

The couple idea that they had ready for his or her honeymoon. Months sooner than their marriage ceremony, beneath the Biden management, the couple referred to as an ICE processing middle to invite if they might shuttle to the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Shaikh mentioned they have been informed they might.

On the Dallas Fortress Price Airport, the morning in their travel in February, in addition they requested a Transportation Safety Management consultant and an airline consultant and have been confident they might shuttle to the islands with simply their U.S. driving force’s licenses, he mentioned.

After being detained on the St. Thomas Airport on their go back travel, Shaikh mentioned Sakeik used to be saved handcuffed at the airplane to Miami, the place the flight had a layover. The couple used to be now not given a explanation why for her detention and used to be to begin with informed she can be launched from custody in Miami.

There, the couple used to be separated. Sakeik used to be saved in Miami for 3 weeks sooner than being despatched to a detention middle in Texas. Sakeik later informed her husband she used to be shackled at the hands and legs as she walked during the airport, he mentioned.

Tried deportation

Closing week, after greater than 3 months in custody, federal government moved to deport Sakeik, consistent with Shaikh and her lawyer.

At the morning of June 12, Sakeik used to be woke up and informed she used to be being deported, consistent with her husband.

After many detainees have been rounded up, she used to be taken to the Fortress Price Alliance Airport, her husband mentioned.

When she requested for shuttle paperwork or to learn the place she used to be being taken, an officer informed her she used to be being taken to the Israeli border, consistent with Shaikh.

After ready on the airport for 2 hours, Sakeik, 4 different Palestinians and an Egyptian guy have been returned to detention amenities, consistent with Shaikh.

“An ICE officer [the next] morning got here and mentioned, ‘The one explanation why your airplane did not come is as a result of Israel bombed Iran remaining night time, and there used to be a security protocol that no flights have been going to be flown into Israel,'” Shaikh informed ABC Information.

Neither Sakeik nor her lawyer got written notification of the place she used to be being deported, her husband and lawyer mentioned. Her lawyer sought a keep of removing that may stay her within the U.S. after the federal government moved to deport her remaining week, and on Monday he used to be informed her removing “isn’t impending,” Elsaban informed ABC Information.

‘Exhausted her due procedure rights’

DHS to begin with informed ABC Information Sakeik “left the U.S.” when she traveled to the U.S. Virgin Islands — a U.S. territory.

“The arrest of Ward Sakeik used to be now not a part of a focused operation via ICE. She selected to depart the rustic and used to be then flagged via [Customs and Border Patrol] looking to reenter the U.S.,” Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin mentioned in a commentary to ABC Information.

When ABC Information requested if the federal government’s stance used to be that shuttle to the Virgin Islands, a U.S. territory, constitutes somebody opting for to “depart the rustic,” DHS equipped an up to date commentary.

“She selected to fly over world waters and outdoor the U.S. customs zone and used to be then flagged via CBP looking to reenter the continental U.S.,” McLaughlin mentioned in a 2nd commentary.

DHS mentioned that Sakeik is within the U.S. illegally.

“She overstayed her visa and has had a last order via an immigration pass judgement on for over a decade,” McLaughlin mentioned within the commentary. “President Trump and Secretary Noem are dedicated to restoring integrity to the visa program and making sure it isn’t abused to permit extraterrestrial beings an enduring one-way price ticket to stay within the U.S.”

McLaughlin mentioned that Sakeik’s enchantment of the overall order of removing used to be rejected via the Board of Immigration Appeals in 2014. “She has exhausted her due procedure rights and all of her claims for aid were denied via the courts,” the commentary mentioned.

DHS didn’t remark at the order of supervision Sakeik and her lawyer say makes her standing within the U.S. prison. DHS additionally didn’t reply to ABC Information’ questions asking why Sakeik used to be detained when she had offered legitimate shuttle paperwork that she says TSA had informed her would suffice forward of her travel or why, consistent with Sakeik, she used to be informed she can be despatched to the Israeli border when she hasn’t ever lived within the area and isn’t a countrywide of any nation.

DHS additionally didn’t reply as to whether it used to be violating a status courtroom order that bars the removing of migrants to 3rd international locations and not using a correct likelihood to problem those removals.

The Trump management has ramped up efforts to deport migrants. Closing month, a federal pass judgement on in Boston dominated that the Trump management’s deportations of 8 males — who the management alleged have been convicted of violent crimes — to South Sudan “without a doubt” violated an previous order via now not giving them good enough due procedure, together with a “significant alternative to object” to their removals to a rustic instead of their very own.

Shaikh, who mentioned he has visited his spouse 18 instances within the months that she’s been held in detention, additionally submitted a inexperienced card software for Sakeik in February — two days after she used to be detained. Her software is pending.

Regarding his spouse’s circle of relatives, Shaikh mentioned, “They do not need to reside like this. My spouse has attempted each and every direction to regulate her standing.”