Palestinian Woman Exposes ICE Abuses After Release from U.S. Detention

Watan-A young Palestinian woman from Texas, released this week from a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center, has revealed a series of severe human rights violations she endured during nearly five months in custody. These included being shackled for long periods and being deprived of food and water.

Warda Skeik, 22, was born in Saudi Arabia to Palestinian parents from the Gaza Strip. As Saudi Arabia does not grant citizenship to children born to foreign nationals, Skeik was officially stateless when her family legally immigrated to the United States when she was eight years old.

Later, her parents applied for political asylum in the U.S., but their request was denied. Nonetheless, they were allowed to remain in the country legally under routine immigration supervision.

Skeik completed both high school and university studies at the University of Texas in Arlington. She started a wedding photography business, married an American citizen, and began the process of obtaining permanent residency (a green card). However, upon returning from her honeymoon in the U.S. Virgin Islands, she was detained by customs officials due to having flown through international airspace — something Homeland Security officials deemed a violation of immigration policy, according to multiple progressive American platforms, including Common Dreams and Social Net Work.

Ward Sakeik, a 22-year-old stateless Palestinian newlywed, was released late Tuesday from the Prairieland Detention Center in Texas after enduring nearly five months in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. pic.twitter.com/OARvh5iLY9

— World Socialist Web Site (@WSWS_Updates) July 4, 2025

At a press conference following her release, Skeik said:”Just hours after we returned from our honeymoon, I was put in a gray jumpsuit and shackled. I was handcuffed for 16 hours on a bus with no food or water. We were transported like cattle. The U.S. government was trying to deport me to a place I know nothing about.”

She continued:”We weren’t given food or water. The driver ate from Chick-fil-A while we were begging for water and knocking on the door for food. He just turned up the radio and ignored us.”

Skeik also highlighted the unsanitary conditions at the “Prairieland” detention center in Alvarado, Texas. She said poor hygiene led to disease outbreaks among detainees:”The bathrooms were absolutely disgusting, the beds were rusted and poorly maintained, and the place was full of insects — cockroaches, crickets, and spiders. Girls were constantly being bitten.”

In an interview on CNN, Skeik said:”I wouldn’t wish what I went through on anyone. It was a brutal, horrifying, and extremely difficult experience.”

Her lawyer, Eric Lee, told CNN that some immigration officials dismissed her account as simply a “sad story.” He asked:”What we’re asking the American people is: Who will you believe? Your own eyes, or the statements of those committing these abuses — abuses that amount to crimes against humanity?”

“I was moved around like cattle.”

Ward Sakeik, US college graduate and homeowner, speaks out following 140 days in ICE hellhole pic.twitter.com/bNTgs7362h

— World Socialist Web Site (@WSWS_Updates) July 5, 2025

Skeik now says she plans to advocate for women and girls held in ICE detention:”I want the world to know that the women who come here are seeking a better life, but they are criminalized for it. They are stripped of their rights and treated with cruelty — as if they’re worth less — simply because they wanted a better future.”