Home » Texas Bride Ward Sakeik Detained by ICE on Honeymoon

Texas Bride Ward Sakeik Detained by ICE on Honeymoon

Stateless woman held 120+ days despite pending green card

by Amelia Crawford

ARLINGTON, Texas — A newlywed Texas couple’s dream honeymoon turned into a nightmare when Ward Sakeik, a 32-year-old stateless Palestinian woman, was detained by ICE in St. Thomas — and she’s now been held in detention for over 120 days.

Her husband, Taahir Shaikh of Arlington, says they chose the U.S. Virgin Islands for their honeymoon in February, believing travel there would be safe given her pending green card application. But upon return, Customs and Border Protection flagged her, citing a final removal order from 2011, and turned her over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Sakeik, born in Saudi Arabia to Palestinian refugees, is considered stateless — unable to obtain citizenship in the country of her birth or in Palestine. She arrived in the U.S. at the age of 8 on a visa with her family, who later had their asylum application denied. However, due to her lack of legal nationality, the U.S. could not deport her, and she was instead placed under supervision, checking in annually with immigration authorities.

Since then, Sakeik built a life in Texas: graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington and working as a wedding photographer. She maintained full compliance with immigration protocols for 14 years, according to her husband.

Now held at Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, after initially being jailed in McAllen, her green card application has stalled while she remains in custody.

“She constantly says, ‘When I get through this phase of my life, what am I not able to endure after this?’” Shaikh told NBC DFW.

Despite legal protections for stateless individuals that typically allow for release after 90 days, Sakeik remains detained after more than four months. ICE, in a statement, said her detention was lawful:

“She had a final order of removal since 2011. Her appeal was dismissed in 2014. She has exhausted her due process rights,” the agency said, adding that Sakeik was not the subject of a targeted operation but was apprehended after “leaving and attempting to re-enter” the U.S.

Her legal team is working to block deportation and secure her release, arguing she poses no threat and that her long-standing compliance and pending green card should be enough to allow her freedom.

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