A British tourist on a ‘once in a lifetime’ trip around North America has been detained by US immigration officials for 11 days after being accused of “violating” her visa.
Rebecca Burke, a 28-year-old graphic artist from Monmouthshire, was denied entry into Washington State via the Canadian border after US immigration officials accused her of travelling on the wrong visa.
She had planned to stay with a host family where she would carry out chores in return for accommodation after using a similar arrangement in New York.
But US immigration officials told her this means she should have been on a working visa, not a holiday visa, the BBC reported.
She told the broadcaster she is now being held in an immigration detention facility in Tacoma, Washington, which she described as prison-like.
“They wake us up at 6:30am. There is never enough time to sleep. It's so cold," she said.
"I wear the same jumper for a week. They're short or out of stuff, like blankets and extra clothes. I have one towel."
"Everyone is actually really shocked when I explain my situation. I came to the US for the first time two years ago... I had a great time, that's why I wanted to come back again. I love nature and hiking. Now I see no nature in here at all."
Her father, Paul Burke, issued a warning to other travellers to be “very careful” with their visa after his daughter’s ordeal.
He told the Guardian: “We haven’t got any clear timeline for her release. I really can’t understand why someone, a tourist, would be incarcerated and locked up.
“It’s like we’re living in a nightmare we can’t wake up from. It’s like we’re having an out-of-body experience. We’re watching ourselves go through the motions of life, but we’re not really doing it, we’re not really there.”
The British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) confirmed it was helping a British national who was detained in the US.
The family are being supported in their case by their local MP, Labour’s Catherine Fookes, who said she was “deeply concerned” for Ms Burke.
“Her family is desperate to bring her home, and I share their urgency in seeking a resolution,” she told the paper.
“Since being made aware of the case, my team have been in regular contact with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and other relevant authorities to press for urgent action. We have relayed the family’s request for voluntary departure and continue to push for clear answers on the next steps to get her home as soon as possible.”
A spokesperson for the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said: “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."
