Ward Sakeik, a 22-year-old stateless Palestinian woman, was released from an immigration detention center after enduring months of harrowing conditions. Her nightmare began in mid-February. Immigration agents picked her up immediately after she returned from her honeymoon in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Born in Saudi Arabia to a displaced Gazan family, Sakeik was able to return to Palestine. She was at risk of statelessness as Saudi Arabia refuses to naturalize the children of foreign nationals. This state of affairs she considered outside of her control.
Sakeik’s family came to the United States on a tourist visa when she was only eight years old. For years, both sought asylum, and they both were rejected time and again. Confinement became a personal reality when her friend Sakeik overstayed her visa. For more than 10 years, she was home under a judge’s final order of removal in immigration court. Immediately after her honeymoon, she was arrested and moved through three separate jails.
The circumstances surrounding Sakeik’s detention should be alarming to everyone. She documented cases in which, in addition to sleep deprivation, she and other detainees were denied such basic needs as food and water.
“We were not given any water or food, and we could smell the driver eating Chick-fil-A,” Sakeik recounted.
These experiences are typical of the documented difficulties that countless detainees encounter while maneuvering through the immigration system, especially those who lack monetary means.
“We would ask for water, bang on the door for food, and he would just turn up the radio and act like he wasn’t listening to us.”
Though Sakeik endured many challenges, she was never defeated. She graduated high school and went on to earn her degree in behavioral science at the University of Texas, Arlington. She formed a wedding photography cooperative and went on to marry her husband, Taahir Shaikh, 28.
“The restrooms are also very, very, very much unhygienic. The beds have rust everywhere. They’re not properly maintained. And cockroaches, grasshoppers, spiders, you name it, all over the facility. Girls would get bit,” she said.
During her time in detention, Sakeik faced immense emotional and psychological hardships. In her words, she always felt criminalized by her stateless condition and this ongoing experience of feeling powerless was dehumanizing.
“A lot of these women don’t have the money for lawyers or media outreach,” Sakeik stated, emphasizing the challenges faced by those in similar situations.
After months in detention, it looked like Sakeik would be free. She described her absolute delight and disbelief at being free.
Her eventual release became a momentous occasion for her fans and supporters. They accompanied her every step of the way through her ordeal.
“I was criminalized for being stateless, something that I absolutely have no control over,” she expressed.
Now out of detention, Sakeik is determined to continue advocating for others like him.
“I didn’t choose to be stateless … I had no choice.”
After months in detention, Sakeik was finally released and expressed her feelings of joy and disbelief at her newfound freedom.
“I was overfilled with joy and a little shock,” she said. “I mean, it was my first time seeing a tree in five months.”
Her release marked a significant moment not only for her but also for those who supported her throughout her ordeal.
“I was like, oh my God, I can touch him without handcuffs and without a glass. It was just freedom,” she recalled about reuniting with her husband after her release.
Now outside of detention, Sakeik remains committed to advocating for others in similar situations.
“So if you’re watching this, I love you, and I will continue to fight for you every single day,” she affirmed.