The mother of a detained New Zealander is calling on the Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters to help her daughter.
Everlee Wihongi was entering her third week in US detention after being detained in an ICE processing centre in California. The Wihongifamily, who had lived in the US for three decades, were returning to the United States after a family holiday in Aotearoa.
Betty Wihongi said they didn’t consider they may have an issue at the border as most of the family were naturalised American citizens and Everlee holds a green card.
Everlee had a conviction for possession of marijuana that had been dealt with more than 10 years ago.
Betty told RNZ’s Mata she was terrified for her 37-year-old daughter, who was sharing a room with 46 others.
They were confined to the room for 22 hours a day, one side of the room was bunks and the other side was tables. She said they ate and slept in the same room.
Everlee believed she was the only person there with a green card.
Everlee Wihongi, pictured with whānau. Photo / Supplied
Betty said there had been a lack of support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and she wanted Peters to intervene.
“Step up and do more,” she said.
“One, do something about Everlee, there has to be something the New Zealand Government can do, and two, train your people… because the help we are getting is not the best.”
When contacted by Mata, the office of Peters said, “this is a consular matter and the ministry is dealing with it. The minister is being kept updated on those efforts”.
When asked if Peters would respond directly to Betty’s appeal, the office said “the message had been relayed” but said it must go through consular channels.
A spokesperson said “the minister is being kept informed and trusts the professionalism and effort that our embassy/consular staff are providing”.
But Betty said there was little support. No one had visited Everlee in detention, they had not received any support in finding a lawyer and when her daughter finally got through on the phone, she claimed the staffer asked her “what do you want me to do about this?”.
The spokesperson for Peters said there were aspects of the case that could not be shared for privacy reasons.
