The father of a British tourist who was taken into custody by United States immigration officials at the Canadian border over disputes regarding her living arrangements with her host family is speaking out after his daughter has been in Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detention for more than a week.
Rebecca Burke, 28, from Monmouthshire, Wales, arrived in the U.S on Jan. 7 with plans on backpacking across the country, the BBC reports. Burke had been staying with a host family in Portland, Oregon, since arriving and had been helping them with chores in exchange for accommodations.
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Rebecca planned on traveling to Vancouver, Canada, but was stopped at the border and denied entry into Canada on Feb. 26, according to a Facebook post her father, Paul Burke, wrote on Saturday.
Rebecca told the BBC that Canadian authorities determined the chores she did for her host family in exchange for housing was considered work, despite her not being paid. She was instructed to go back to the U.S. in order to fill out new paperwork, she said.
However, when Rebecca returned to the U.S, she was classified as an “illegal alien,” her father wrote. He added that “despite being a tourist with no criminal record,” she was handcuffed and taken to a detention facility in Tacoma, Washington. As of Saturday, his daughter has been in detention for more than 10 days, he said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection told HuffPost that those who travel into the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program are not allowed to work for any type of compensation, including in exchange for room and board.
ICE confirmed with HuffPost on Tuesday that Rebecca is detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center “related to the violation of the terms and conditions of her admission.” The agency added that “all aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and if found removable by final order, removal from the United States regardless of nationality.”
On Facebook, Paul raised concerns over the conditions his daughter is facing at the ICE detention facility. He wrote that she is “sharing a cell” and has “limited” access to phone calls. He added that she is a vegan and is “surviving on a diet of cold rice, potatoes, and beans.”
Rebecca told the BBC that the facility is “cold” and “there is never enough time to sleep.”
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in the United Kingdom told HuffPost that it is “supporting a British national detained in the USA and are in contact with the local authorities.”
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Rebecca’s detention occurs amidst a backdrop of President Donald Trump ramping up immigration enforcement. Immigration experts told the BBC that what happened to her was probably inevitable once Canadian officials denied her entry. The news outlet noted that under Trump, there is “less tolerance for even seemingly honest mistakes” when it comes to immigration.
Paul told The Guardian he and his wife were aware of Trump’s plans for U.S. immigration policy, but had not thought it would impact their daughter.
“We were horrified about what was planned for immigrants and illegal aliens in the U.S. just like many people around the world were,” he said. “But why would we put that together with Becky making this trip? We now know better, because we believe it’s had a direct impact.”