What we know about claim ICE detained New Zealand mom and son

In August 2025, a claim (archived) circulated online that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested and detained a mother from New Zealand and her 6-year-old son despite both allegedly having legal visas for the U.S.

(X user @jonfavs)

One X user shared the story on the social network, writing:

Sarah Shaw has a legal visa. Her 6-year-old son has a legal visa. She was driving back home, to Washington state, after dropping off her other two sons at the Vancouver airport.

ICE threw her and her youngest son in an unmarked van and sent them to a detention center in Texas, where they're still being held.

A mom and her 6-year-old son.

News outlets in New Zealand, the U.S. and the U.K. widely reported the story about Shaw's detention. The claim spread across Facebook (archived), Threads (archived), Bluesky (archived) and Reddit (archived). Snopes readers also wrote in asking for more details about the story.

According to reports, ICE detained Shaw and her 6-year-old son, Isaac, on July 24, 2025, when the pair returned to the U.S. after dropping Shaw's older children off for a flight from Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada. ICE reportedly transferred Shaw and her son to a detention center in Texas. 

Shaw's lawyer, Minda Thorward, told Snopes via email on Aug. 16, 2025, that Shaw had separate permissions to work and live in the U.S. She had successfully renewed her work authorization and was in the process of applying for lawful permanent residency but did not have the correct travel documentation to reenter the U.S. when ICE detained her.

Thorward said ICE released Shaw and her son on Aug. 15 and that the pair had returned to Washington.

A spokesperson for the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) wrote in an email on Aug. 14, "Consular officials have been in contact with the New Zealander in detention in the United States. For privacy reasons no further information will be provided."

Snopes reached out to ICE, the Embassy of New Zealand in the U.S. and Victoria Besancon, a friend of Shaw's acting with power of attorney, to ask about the status of Shaw's case and to confirm details about why ICE detained her on July 24. We await replies to our queries. 

Shaw's lawyer called arrests 'unnecessary and cruel'

Speaking to Fox 13 Seattle, Thorward said Shaw made "basically what amounts to an administrative error" with her missing visa renewal, and that ICE's detention of her and her son was "unnecessary and cruel." According to reports, Shaw's children had valid travel authorizations, meaning they could legally travel in and out of the U.S. Therefore, ICE's arrest of Shaw's son was unlawful, according to Thorward.

Thorward told journalists in New Zealand that Shaw originally had a spousal visa, but the marriage ended amid allegations of domestic abuse. The Guardian newspaper reported Shaw had an approved I-360 form before ICE arrested her in July 2025. 

An approved I-360 form allowed victims of domestic abuse at the hands of a U.S. citizen or lawful resident a pathway to lawful permanent residence in the U.S. The form was not a visa in itself but rather allowed approved applicants to apply for a green card, a visa that gives the holder the right to live and work in the U.S.

Thorward told Snopes Shaw had a pending I-360 VAWA Self-Petition. VAWA is an abbreviation of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that affords legal protection to victims of domestic abuse and other violence against women. 

Becuase Shaw was applying for lawful permanent status in the U.S., Thorward said, authorities issued her a "combo card" consisting of separate permissions to work and travel. Shaw had renewed her work permit, mistakenly thinking that the work renewal allowed her to travel outside the U.S. and return.

Thorward called Shaw's confusion "an understandable mistake."

According to Thorward, she and Shaw filed petitions with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to terminate her and her son's removal proceedings and would seek to resolve Shaw's legal status in the U.S. as well.

Shaw reportedly had an immigration hearing scheduled for the end of August 2025.