(WASHINGTON STATE) New Zealand citizen Sarah Shaw and her 6-year-old son, Isaac, have been held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since July 24, 2025, after officers stopped them at the United States 🇺🇸–Canada 🇨🇦 border while they tried to return home to Everett, Washington. As of August 13, 2025, both remain in a family detention center in Texas. Shaw’s lawyer says a decision on Isaac’s release is expected within days, while broader questions about why a child with valid paperwork is detained continue to build public pressure.
Shaw told friends she drove to Vancouver to drop her two older children at the airport for a flight to New Zealand and then attempted to re-enter the United States with Isaac. Border officers flagged that Shaw’s travel permission had expired even though she has a pending green card case and a work authorization receipt. ICE declined to parole her into the country, transferred mother and child to Texas, and opened a case that has earned national attention, consular involvement, and strong criticism from labor and immigrant advocates.
What led to the detention
Court filings and statements from Shaw’s counsel state that she has a pending adjustment of status case filed in 2022. She previously held the “combo card,” a single card that covers both work and travel.
- The work portion is tied to Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization).
- The travel portion is based on Form I-131 (Application for Travel Document), often called Advance Parole.
The combo card expired in May 2025. A renewal was filed in March, and Shaw received a receipt notice extending her ability to work, but not her travel. Advocates note this is a common point of confusion because the automatic extension applies to the work card, not Advance Parole.
According to her attorney, when Shaw realized the travel problem after leaving the country, she contacted counsel and was advised to ask for humanitarian parole at the border. Humanitarian parole, authorized by INA §212(d)(5), lets officers allow a person into the United States for urgent or public interest reasons even if a travel document has lapsed.
- Attorneys handling the case say ICE refused this option and detained both mother and son despite Isaac’s reported valid paperwork.
- Shaw and Isaac were moved to a family detention center in Texas—thousands of miles from Everett and far from her primary lawyer.
Consular officials from New Zealand say they learned of the case through media reports and have since engaged, with Foreign Minister Winston Peters monitoring. The Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE), which represents Shaw, has called the detention traumatic and unnecessary and urged ICE to release her immediately.
“If a child’s papers are valid, why is the child in custody?” — question raised by New Zealand officials and advocates.
Legal stakes and wider impact
Shaw’s legal team is pushing for her release while challenging the legality of detaining a 6‑year‑old whose documents were reportedly in order. Lawyers argue the government should have used parole and allowed Shaw to attend follow-up appointments inside the country, as is common in cases involving minor travel errors.
Key legal and policy issues:
– Parole vs. detention: Attorneys say parole has historically been used to resolve administrative issues without custody.
– Family detention locations: There are only three family detention centers nationwide, often far from detainees’ homes and lawyers.
– Access to counsel: Distance increases costs and limits access to legal help, disadvantaging detained families.
Advocates link the case to broader enforcement trends. They say:
– Tougher border decisions are being reported for people with pending cases and paperwork gaps.
– Some policies expanded during the Trump administration—like greater use of family detention and narrower parole—have persisted into the Biden administration, according to critics.
– Union leaders and immigrant rights groups describe the practice as harmful to children and unnecessary for people with strong community ties.
Community response and practical effects
Shaw’s friends organized fundraising across multiple states. A GoFundMe had raised more than US$37,000 by this week.
Supporters describe the Texas facility as “very similar to a prison,” citing:
– Limited communication with the outside world
– Hurdles to regular attorney contact
– Few child-friendly supports
For a child like Isaac, being far from school, friends, and routine adds intense stress that can deepen the longer detention lasts. The distance to Texas also raises travel costs for counsel and makes family visits difficult.
VisaVerge.com notes that confusion between work authorization and travel permission is a frequent trap for families with pending green card cases. Its analysis shows many applicants assume the receipt notice extending work permission also extends Advance Parole, leading to re-entry problems.
Shaw’s lawyers say the government could have used discretion to fix an administrative mistake without taking a child into custody. They add that before recent shifts, officers frequently used humanitarian parole to let parents resolve paperwork issues inside the United States. Now, they say, ICE appears more inclined to detain even when a long-term case is active and community ties are strong.
Consular involvement and ongoing questions
The New Zealand embassy has confirmed consular support and remains engaged with U.S. counterparts. Officials say they were not initially notified but are now following the matter closely.
For families watching from abroad, the central question remains stark: if a child’s papers are valid, why is the child in custody?
Advice for families in similar situations
Lawyers offer practical steps to help prevent travel trouble during a pending green card case:
- Carry proof of a valid Advance Parole (Form I-131) approval when leaving and returning.
- Keep a copy of the work card renewal receipt for Form I-765, but remember it does not extend travel.
- If your combo card is close to expiring, avoid international trips until the new travel document is approved.
- Speak with your attorney before any cross-border travel, even short trips to Canada or Mexico.
Next steps and resources
As of today, a decision on Isaac’s release is expected soon. If he is released, supporters are preparing to help him travel back to Washington while legal teams continue pushing for Shaw’s parole or release on recognizance. Union leaders and advocates say they will keep speaking out until both are home.
For families and legal representatives seeking updates on detained loved ones, the official ICE Detainee Locator is available at: https://locator.ice.gov/odls/#/index. For those checking their own paperwork, official USCIS form pages include:
– Form I-765: https://www.uscis.gov/i-765
– Form I-131: https://www.uscis.gov/i-131
– Form I-485: https://www.uscis.gov/i-485
Important: Carry and verify travel documentation before international trips when you have a pending adjustment of status. Small administrative oversights can quickly escalate into prolonged detention and significant hardship for families.
This Article in a Nutshell
A New Zealand mother and her six-year-old son were detained at the US‑Canada border after Advance Parole lapse. Legal teams say ICE refused humanitarian parole despite pending adjustment of status. Advocates criticize family detention far from home, raising questions about policy, access to counsel, and necessity when a child’s paperwork appears valid.
