ICE Arrests Woman After Returning From Honeymoon

• Woman Detained After Honeymoon
• ICE Accuses Her of Illegal Status in U.S.
• Detention Tied to Statelessness and Asylum Case

A woman born in Saudi Arabia was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after returning from her honeymoon in the Virgin Islands.

Taahir Shaikh, 28, and Ward Sakeik, 22, were married on January 31 and enjoyed a trip to the Virgin Islands.

However, upon returning to Arlington, Texas, they were met with Sakeik’s arrest, as she faced accusations of being unlawfully present in the United States.

On February 11, as the couple was preparing to board a flight home at St. Thomas Airport, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents identified Sakeik and proceeded to arrest her.

ICE Arrests Woman and Now She Faces Deportation

A newlywed Arlington man says his bride is being held in an ICE detention facility after she was detained on their honeymoon in February.

Now, Taahir Shaikh fears his wife Ward Sakeik will be deported, despite having no country to call home.https://t.co/D9oLGbu9XJ

— Alanna Quillen (@AlannaNBC5) June 20, 2025

Subsequently, she was transferred to the El Valle Detention Center in Texas under ICE custody.

Ward Sakeik’s case is complicated due to her immigration status. Although born in Saudi Arabia, that country does not grant citizenship to those who are not children of native Saudis.

You may also like: Latina Woman Calls ICE on Vendors and Ends Up Losing Her Daughter in Raid

Her family originates from Gaza, and she arrived in the U.S. at the age of eight, seeking asylum. However, a year later, she received a deportation order.

Despite that order, Sakeik was allowed to remain in the country under an order of supervision, requiring her to report regularly to federal authorities.

ICE and the Deportation Order

Yesterday, our Dallas–Fort Worth chapter, held an emergency press conference to address ICE’s apparent plan to deport Ward Sakeik to an undisclosed location as early as tonight.

Sakeik is a Stateless Palestinian who arrived in the US lawfully at the age of eight and was detained… pic.twitter.com/LtTSqpYZDO

— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) June 13, 2025

Ward Sakeik’s husband talked to ABC News.

He told them that on June 13, agents informed his wife that she would be transferred to the border with Israel due to her stateless status.

However, officials told her that flights to Israel were suspended because of the conflict with Iran.

Shaikh explained that before traveling to the Virgin Islands, they consulted with an ICE processing center, as well as TSA officers and the airline, regarding the legality of their flight.

Conclusion After ICE Arrests Woman