Kiwi ICE detainee Everlee Wihongi: 'Although I've been released, I am not yet free'

The New Zealand woman detained by US immigration for more than 70 days has described her ordeal as "horrific".

Everlee Wihongi, 37, was detained by ICE while attempting to return to the US on a Green Card - or Permanent Resident Card - after a three-week holiday in New Zealand in early April, because of a 2016 cannabis conviction.

Her mother Betty Wihongi had told RNZ she was left without her passport, Green Card or drivers' licence after her release.

Following her release, Everlee has posted on Facebook to thank family and friends for finding her legal team and notifying the New Zealand Government, saying the love and support she has received has been unreal.

"I'm lucky to have left such an experience and been received with so much love, support and kindness from everyone," she said.

"Thank you guys for always answering my calls, and keeping me sane, informed, and for everything you did to make sure I was doing alright while I was in there," she wrote.

"I'm forever grateful for all the sacrifices you all made to make everything happen from the start, to today."

She also thanked her lawyer Marc Christopher, as well as New Zealand journalist David Farrier.

Everlee said she had been a legal resident of the US since the year 2000.

"My green card never lapsed, or expired. I have traveled numerous time outside the US without ever having problems.

"I was never informed why I was being detained.

"I was never given official charges from ICE to why I was detained either. I was only told I violated immigration law, but never what law.

"Although I have been released, I am not yet free."

She asked for some time to process what had happened, and to be with her family.

"I will tell the whole story when I'm ready, again people need to know," she said.

Everlee's sister-in-law Courtney Wihongi told RNZ Everlee would need to do some healing after the experience and the conditions, including being housed in rooms with up to 60 other people at a time.

"At the moment she's so content to be out and to be free."

But: "It's no conditions that any human being should have to endure ... it's been terrible," Courtney said.

Betty said the New Zealand Government's response had not been good enough.

"I'm just really disappointed with the New Zealand government, and with a lot of the misinformation that Winston Peters put out, it just really hurt our case with the lies that he put out."

The family did receive assistance from the New Zealand consulate after Everlee had been in detention for about three weeks, she said, which had been helpful.

Whānau would also be breathing a sigh of relief that the fight was over, as work to monitor her situation and help progress Everlee through the US court system had taken a lot of energy.

"Every day I was contacting journalists, researching things, trying to reach out to different people that could possibly help, working with the legal team that we had," Courtney said. "It was definitely no sleep and working on this 24/7 for the last two months."