Zimbabwean Woman Sues US ICE For US$75,000 Over Unlawful Detention

A Zimbabwean woman living in the United States has launched a US$75,000 lawsuit against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Patience Gore, 44, claims the agency unlawfully detained her and disrupted a time-sensitive fertility treatment.

The lawsuit stems from her arrest at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in March 2026.

Detained At Airport

Gore had been travelling with her husband when the incident occurred.

The couple was waiting for a United Airlines flight to Washington Dulles when Gore was repeatedly called to the boarding gate.

She approached the counter after staff raised an issue involving her boarding pass.

According to court documents, three plainclothes ICE agents then detained her at the airport.

Gore was held for almost two weeks at several immigration detention facilities.

These included the ICE Phoenix Field Office, Florence Detention Center and Eloy Detention Center.

Gore has reportedly lived in the United States for approximately 24 years.

An immigration judge granted her a stay in 2011.

She also has no criminal record and works as a senior risk manager at USAA.

The Zimbabwean is the sole legal custodian of her 11-year-old daughter, who is a US citizen.

Her detention came at a particularly difficult time for her family.

Gore and her husband were undergoing a time-sensitive in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) process when she was arrested.

Gore alleges that she was denied basic necessities and adequate medical care during her detention.

As a result, she was unable to continue with the IVF treatment.

Court documents indicate that Gore has blocked fallopian tubes, making IVF her only realistic opportunity to have a biological child.

She had two viable embryos remaining from an earlier IVF cycle.

However, the treatment was abandoned following her detention.

After her release, Gore underwent another IVF cycle, but it did not produce a viable embryo.

Gore’s legal battle eventually led to her release from detention.

A federal court ordered her release on March 26 after her attorney filed a habeas corpus petition.

The Department of Homeland Security did not oppose the petition.

Gore is now seeking more than US$75,000 in damages.

The claim includes legal expenses and losses associated with the failed IVF cycle.

Her lawsuit alleges that ICE’s actions amounted to unlawful detention and caused significant personal and financial harm.