Fact Check: "Ward Sakeik has been detained for over 120 days despite being stateless."
What We Know
Ward Sakeik, a 22-year-old Palestinian woman, has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since February 2023. She was apprehended at a Miami airport while attempting to re-enter the continental United States after her honeymoon in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Sakeik is reported to be stateless, having been born in Saudi Arabia without citizenship there, and her family entered the U.S. on a visa when she was eight years old. They later applied for asylum, which was denied, leading to a final order of removal issued in 2011 (Newsweek) (source).
Her husband, Taahir Shaikh, claims that despite her stateless status and a pending green card application, she has been held for over 120 days without communication from ICE officials (NBC Washington) (source). The Department of Homeland Security has indicated that Sakeik was flagged by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) upon her return to the U.S. and that her detention was not part of a targeted operation (Newsweek) (source).
Analysis
The claim that Ward Sakeik has been detained for over 120 days appears to be accurate based on multiple reports. Her husband has publicly stated that she has been in custody since February, which aligns with the timeline provided by various news outlets (NBC Washington) (source).
The sources reporting on her case, including Newsweek and NBC, are credible and provide detailed accounts of her situation, including her immigration history and the circumstances surrounding her detention. However, it is important to note that while these sources provide a narrative consistent with the claim, they do not include direct statements from ICE or detailed legal analyses of her immigration status, which could provide further context.
Moreover, the assertion of her being stateless is supported by her husband's comments and the broader context of her family's immigration history. However, the implications of her statelessness in relation to U.S. immigration law and her detention status require further legal examination, which is not fully addressed in the available reports.
Conclusion
Needs Research. While the claim that Ward Sakeik has been detained for over 120 days is supported by credible sources, the complexities of her immigration status and the legal ramifications of her statelessness necessitate further investigation. Additional information from legal experts or official statements from ICE would be beneficial to fully understand the implications of her situation.
