North Texas Palestinian woman freed after nearly five months in ICE custody
A North Texas woman was released Tuesday after spending nearly five months in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, following her arrest in February while returning from her honeymoon — a case that drew mounting legal and public pressure, her attorneys said.
Ward Sakeik, a 22-year-old Palestinian woman who has lived in the U.S. since childhood but holds no citizenship in any country, was picked up by her husband from Prairieland Detention Center, a medium-security ICE facility in Alvarado. The couple returned to their family home in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Stateless and long-settled in Texas
Born in Saudi Arabia to Palestinian parents, Sakeik came to the U.S. at age 8. She later attended the University of Texas at Arlington and currently runs a wedding photography business.
Her lawyers said her "sudden release" came after ICE attempted to deport her from the country in "the early morning hours" of June 30.
Arrested after honeymoon flight
Immigration officials arrested her in February after a domestic flight from the U.S. Virgin Islands, where she had been honeymooning with her husband, Taahir Shaikh.
Her legal team said ICE attempted to deport her twice — including once in violation of a federal court order — despite her pending green card application and marriage to a U.S. citizen.
Tarmac confrontation and deportation threat
According to her attorneys, ICE brought her onto the tarmac at Fort Worth Alliance Airport on June 12 and told her she would be sent to "the border of Israel" — despite her being stateless and lacking legal status in either Israel or the West Bank.
Last month, Shaikh said he feared his wife could be deported to an undisclosed country.
Lawyers condemn ICE actions
In a news release, Eric Lee, one of her lawyers, called the deportation attempt a "brazenly unconstitutional" act, arguing it violated her due process rights.
"Had we not intervened, she may very well be in a foreign country right now, separated from her family like so many others illegally deported to third countries," Lee said. "As the Supreme Court sits on its hands and lets this happen, the American people must stand up and oppose Trump's descent to dictatorship."
Another attorney, Chris Godshall-Bennett, condemned the administration's immigration policies as "depraved," citing a pattern of harsh enforcement tactics.
Broader criticism of immigration policy
"The cruelty the government inflicted on Ward and her family puts in stark relief just how depraved this administration's immigration policies are," Godshall-Bennett said. "Let's be clear: Ward was arrested and almost deported simply because she is Palestinian and ICE thought they could get away with it.
"The new American secret police are out of control, but the fault lies with generations of legislators who have happily demonized immigrants in their race to the fascistic bottom."
ICE officials have not publicly commented on Sakeik's release. CBS News Texas reached out to the agency for a statement but had not received a response as of late Wednesday afternoon.
Sakeik was held in ICE custody for 140 days.
