TACOMA, Wash. — A British backpacker detained by U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and held at a Tacoma detention center is back home in Wales, a source at ICE told KIRO 7 News.
Earlier this month, ICE told KIRO 7 that Becky Burke was arrested at the border for ‘violating the terms and conditions of her U.S. admission.’
The 28-year-old was put into handcuffs and taken into custody on February 26 while attempting to enter Canada, according to a post from Becky’s father.
The BBC reported that Becky traveled to Seattle after spending time in New York and then Oregon with a host family, where she helped with household chores in exchange for accommodation. She had planned to cross the border into Vancouver to stay with another host family and do the same.
When she reached the border, Becky said the Canadian authorities denied her entry as they were concerned she may try to work illegally. She described to the BBC how she then spent six hours at the border, waiting while officials were “trying to determine if what I had been doing in America counted as work” before she was taken into custody.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, individuals who travel to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program are not allowed to work for any type of compensation — including work in exchange for room and board, though it is unclear if Becky entered the U.S. via this specific program.
KIRO 7 spoke with an immigration attorney who wished to remain anonymous, who stated, “I assume she entered on the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). People who enter under this program do not have a right to see a judge or get out on bond. I believe what she is waiting for is removal to the U.K. Because ICE doesn’t remove there often, she will wait longer, probably approximately three weeks.”
Burke’s father told the BBC it will take some time for her to recover from this experience. You can read the BBC’s full interview by clicking here.
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