Sarah Shaw Released from ICE, Supported by WFSE Members and Family

With the help of her union siblings, family and elected officials, the WFSE member and public servant from Everett has been released from ICE custody.

After three terrifying weeks at an ICE detention in Texas, Sarah Shaw and her son, Isaac, are back home in Washington.

Shaw, a WFSE member and Echo Glen employee, works with youth in Washington’s juvenile rehabilitation system. She said her work experience has given her empathy for people in the corrections system—something she wished her and Isaac were shown more of.

“I work with juvenile rehabilitation,” Shaw said. “I understand what it’s like when you have to do your job. But you can be kind and compassionate and empathetic to people while you do your job.”

Sarah’s experience at the border left her emotionally shattered in the presence of her son.

“We didn’t have space alone to decompress and process the situation,” Shaw said. “Isaac saw me have multiple breakdowns at the border. I was having panic attacks and couldn’t sleep, and the psychiatrist tried putting me on an anti-psychotic medicine.”

Shaw’s ordeal ended much quicker than most of the families held at the Dilley Detention Center, who make money on every person detained.

“I was lucky,” Shaw said. “There were some families that had been there 70 days or more. I was lucky I had family and friends to fill up my commissary funds. Each phone call I made was ten to twenty dollars. It’s heartbreaking that the longer someone stays there, the more funds [the facility] gets for that.”

Shaw’s attorney, Minda A. Thorward, believes that the only reason she was paroled so quickly was because of the media attention her case gathered. She referred to the case as a “grotesque” violation of rights and “legally sanctioned kidnapping.”

WFSE Members Respond in Thousands

WFSE worked closely with federal and state officials to secure Shaw’s release; Shaw’s friend Victoria Besancon noted that WFSE’s demand for Sarah’s release was the first call to action or media release.

WFSE also advocated for Shaw to receive shared leave to keep her job. Our members came together to help donate to her GoFundMe, which has raised over $60,000 to go towards Sarah’s legal expenses.

Shaw is a dedicated public servant who has done untold good for Washingtonians with her work at Echo Glen, rehabilitating some of the most at-risk youth in our corrections system for years. Her apprehension at the border was a gross misuse of power that harmed the communities she serves and Washington as a whole.

Our state workers are the force that keeps Washington running. Workers like Sarah Shaw deserve the respect and admiration of all Americans, not to be traumatized to help make money for privately owned detention centers.

Shaw’s unfair treatment shines a light on why WFSE’s executive board passed a resolution in February declaring WFSE’s commitment to being “a safe and welcoming place for all members and their families regardless of their immigration status.”

WFSE continues to stand up for the public servants who keep our state and country running and stands against the anti-worker billionaires and politicians who are using political theatre to destroy the services we rely on daily. This includes ICE’s massive budget, which was funded by huge cuts to public services Americans rely on.

To learn more about how AFSCME is fighting back against anti-worker billionaires, click here.

Learn more about immigrant rights here, and about bystander action here.