Honeymoon Trip to St. Thomas Turns Into Immigration Nightmare After Bride is Detained, Exposing USVI Legal Grey Zone

Despite not needing a passport to travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands from the mainland, the territory's special status outside the United States’ domestic Customs zone means that travel is still risky for those with uncertain residency status.

A couple on their honeymoon to St. Thomas recently found this out the hard way. Newlyweds Taahir Shaikh and Ward Sakeik, who live in Arlington Texas, chose to travel to the USVI after careful consideration because they believed that the trip would not impact Ms. Sakeik's pending immigration case.

She had been brought to the United States at the age of eight, having been born to Palestinian refugees in Saudi Arabia. Because she was not recognized as a Saudi national, Ms. Sakeik was considered stateless. After arriving in the U.S. on a visa, her family applied for asylum. Although their request was denied, Ms. Sakeik could not be easily deported due to her stateless status. Instead, she was released under a supervision order requiring her to check in with immigration authorities once a year.

Over the past 14 years, Ms. Sakeik graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington and built a career as a wedding photographer. Despite her integration into society, compliance with the supervision order, and pending green card application, Ms. Sakeik was nevertheless detained on St. Thomas by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in February. She has been detained ever since.

With her green card application now paused due to her detention, Ms. Sakeik is now only able to communicate with her spouse through video calls and weekly visits.