Ward Sakeik, a 22-year-old stateless Palestinian woman, was detained for over four months after returning from her honeymoon. Upon release, she expressed immense joy and shock, having missed the freedom of being outside and experiencing nature. Sakeik was born in Saudi Arabia and has been without citizenship, having faced deportation attempts despite previous compliance with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Her family entered the U.S. on a tourist visa when she was eight, seeking asylum, which was denied. Sakeik was building a life in Texas, recently married and starting a wedding photography business before her detention disrupted everything.
I was overfilled with joy and a little shock. I mean, it was my first time seeing a tree in five months.
I was like, oh my God, I can touch him without handcuffs and without a glass. It was just freedom.
I married the love of my life. We spent 36 hours in the house that we were renovating for six months.
Sakeik's family is from Gaza, but she was born in Saudi Arabia, which does not grant birthright citizenship to the children of foreigners.
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