"A British family on vacation accidentally drove into the U.S..."

[ThelmaLou]

“… They’ve spent days detained with their 3-month-old baby.”

I guess we’re gonna need a wall up there, too…

…Originally from the United Kingdom, the two couples and their three young children were driving near the U.S.-Canada border on Oct. 3 during a visit to Vancouver when an animal ventured into the road, forcing them to make an unexpected detour. But before the family could get very far, flashing lights from a police car appeared in their rearview mirror. The officer that pulled them over was American — they had accidentally crossed the border.

The vacationing family says this was the moment their trip turned into “the scariest experience of our lives,” according to a complaint filed Friday to the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security. Instead of being allowed to return to Canada or the U.K., Eileen Connors alleges that her entire family, including her 3-month-old son, ended up detained at the Berks Family Residential Center in Leesport, Pa., where they have spent more than a week living in “frigid” and “filthy” conditions. As of late Monday, Bridget Cambria, the Connorses’ lawyer, told The Washington Post that the British family was still at the center waiting to be deported.
…

Even before the tourists could explain why they were on the road, Connors, 24, wrote that her 30-year-old husband David and his cousin, who was driving at the time, were arrested.

“You crossed an international border,” said the officer, who allegedly did not read the men their rights and ignored the family’s pleas that they had unknowingly crossed into the United States and never intended to enter the country during their trip, despite having the proper visas. The complaint did not specify exactly where the incident took place.

The family asked if they could “simply turn around” and were denied, Connors wrote.
…

In the morning, immigration officers told the Connorses that they could be released if they provided contact information for any family member living in the United States who could sponsor them, the statement said. Luckily, a relative with U.S. citizenship agreed to help.

“We were ready for all of this to end,” Connors wrote.

But hours later, the Connorses were informed that they wouldn’t be leaving. There was “a change in plans,” and soon after, they were loaded into a van in what “felt like an abduction or kidnapping,” according to the statement.

David Connors was dropped off at the Tacoma Northwest Detention Center, while Eileen Connors and her baby were taken to a Red Roof Inn in Seattle to spend the night.

They were reunited the next morning at a promising location: the Seattle airport.

“I thought, finally we’re going home and felt relieved, even though the officers would not tell me where we were going or why,” Eileen Connors wrote.
…

It gets worse.

But her relief was short-lived.

When the Connorses got off their flight, they were in Pennsylvania. Their destination was the Berks Family Residential Center, a facility advocates have decried as “baby jail,” according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
…

Beyond the alleged living conditions, the Connorses also claim that they were not given an opportunity to call their embassy, instead relying on family members to reach out on their behalf. In the statement, Eileen Connors wrote that she only learned that the embassy had tried to contact her and her family while they were detained on Oct. 7, accusing the center’s staff of not passing along the message until it was too late in the day to call back.
…

On Monday, Cambria told The Post that the Connorses were “hopeful they’re leaving as soon as” Tuesday.
…

Words fail me.

[Voyager]

When I read the popup before opening the post I thought the punchline was going to be that they actually drove into Iran.
How naive of me.
And ICE agents wonder why people hate them.

[Alpha_Twit]

What kind of animal could wander onto the road and stay there long enough to force a detour? What animal is so big and so hostile to cars that you can’t drive around it?

[k9bfriender]

@Alpha_Twit

What kind of animal could wander onto the road and stay there long enough to force a detour? What animal is so big and so hostile to cars that you can’t drive around it?

It being Canada, I’d guess Moose.

My mother grew up in Buffalo NY, and she used to tell a story of a friend who visited from Scotland.

The friend got up early one morning, and went for a walk. He wasn’t from the area, and he didn’t pay much attention to where he was going, until he was stopped by customs on the Canada side of the Peace Bridge. Turned around, went back to the other side of the bridge, and was now not allowed back into the US.

Suffice to say, there were a few hours of confusion in getting him his passport and allowing him to re-enter the US. They look back on that now and laugh.

That is a reasonable way of handling the situation.

[ThelmaLou]

@Alpha_Twit

What kind of animal could wander onto the road and stay there long enough to force a detour? What animal is so big and so hostile to cars that you can’t drive around it?

From the New York Times:

…U.S. officials assert the family of Eileen and David Connors crossed the border on purpose, noting their vehicle was observed “slowly and deliberately” driving through a ditch to cross into U.S. territory in Blaine, Washington, on Oct. 2. …

They didn’t make a “detour” as in “took another route.” They drove into a ditch to avoid whatever it was. Maybe a moose or a bear. By driving into the ditch, they crossed the border. As for the criminal implications of driving “slowly and deliberately,” I would also drive slowly through a ditch at night in unfamiliar territory, especially if there were a large animal nearby. Does that help?

The ICE people scored big on what they thought was going to be a dull night, amirite?

These people have been held for TWO WEEKS. I mean, WTF?

[ThelmaLou]

From the NPRstory:

…
As British citizens, the family was entitled to visit the U.S. without a visa.

“They could just come to the United States with a passport,” said attorney Bridget Cambria, who worked on the civil rights complaint that has been filed on behalf of the family with the Department of Homeland Security. “The reason it sounds silly is because it is silly.”

Instead, Eileen and her husband, David, 30, are locked into an immigration process with few safeguards. People in federal immigration custody are not entitled to legal counsel and even the wrongful arrest of U.S. citizens can take weeks to sort out, as they struggle to prove their identities while in detention.
…

My bold.

[pool]

Two weeks? I read the cop in Fort Worth that killed an innocent woman in her home got out on bail after 4 hours!

[Northern_Piper]

Yes, because in the US, individuals charged with criminal offences have more due process rights than individuals in the immigration system, which is allegedly “civil” in nature under federal law.

[Northern_Piper]

@Voyager

When I read the popup before opening the post I thought the punchline was going to be that they actually drove into Iran.
How naive of me.
And ICE agents wonder why people hate them.

Nope, that “drove into the US told me it was a Canada story”. There’s lots os spots along the “undefended border” where this is possible if you’re not careful.

[EinsteinsHund]

So American border control one time did the right thing and didn’t discriminate against brown skin, wrongly bearded or dressed folk or the wrong kind of passport? What you’re all complaining about? (Yeah, I’m cynical tonight…)

[Magiver]

the article said they had the proper visas. Do people from the UK need a visa to go to Canada? where is the British Consulate in all of this?

The article could do with a bit more information.

[ThelmaLou]

@Magiver

the article said they had the proper visas. Do people from the UK need a visa to go to Canada? where is the British Consulate in all of this?

The article could do with a bit more information.

From the WaPo article:

…the Connorses also claim that they were not given an opportunity to call their embassy…

From the NPR story:

… People in federal immigration custody are not entitled to legal counsel …

From https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/canada/entry-requirements

…British Citizens don’t usually need a visa to visit Canada for short periods, but you’ll need to get an Electronic Travel Authorisation before you travel (see below)…

[Magiver]

thanks for the post Thelma.lou. I would make a correction after reading further. They are not entitled to government paid legal counsel. Which is of course a problem if you have no funds. In this case they should have had access to an attorney at their expense and by extension, access to their consulate.

Still a ridiculous runaround. I hope this grows legs.

[Riemann]

@EinsteinsHund

So American border control one time did the right thing and didn’t discriminate against brown skin, wrongly bearded or dressed folk or the wrong kind of passport? What you’re all complaining about? (Yeah, I’m cynical tonight…)

And they weren’t perceived as “a threat” and shot. Really, people just keep moving the goalposts on what we can reasonably expect from law enforcement.

[ThelmaLou]

@Riemann

And they weren’t perceived as “a threat” and shot. Really, people just keep moving the goalposts on what we can reasonably expect from law enforcement.

I guess they’re lucky ICE didn’t shoot them in the legs.

[Sunspace]

@Northern_Piper

Nope, that “drove into the US told me it was a Canada story”. There’s lots os spots along the “undefended border” where this is possible if you’re not careful.

For reference, this is 0 Avenue on the Canadian side of the border by the International Peace Park in Blaine, Washington. The road is on the Canadian side. The park, complete with children playing on the swing set, is on the US side. The actual border is the small ditch alongside the road – you can see one of the border markers protected by the yellow concrete bumper.

Now, my impression is that residents of both countries are free to wander the park, and only have to pass the appropriate customs and immigration if they exit the park. But I could be wrong.

0 Ave extends quite a bit further east along the border, beyond the park. Possibly they accidentally crossed there?

Edit: Here’s 0 Ave near the Lynden border crossing (apparently the area referenced in the OP article). The border runs along the small ditch between the two roads.

[RioRico]

@Sunspace

Edit: Here’s 0 Ave near the Lynden border crossing (apparently the area referenced in the OP article). The border runs along the small ditch between the two roads.

Only a small ditch? Not a beautiful wall with gator-infested moats, venomous vipers, and armed tortoises? Well no wonder! Even a Texan could sneak across there.

[wolfpup]

There are a few more details to this story, at least according to the CBC, that I didn’t see mentioned here.

One fact is that two of the adults in this group had previously been denied entry to the US, presumably for good reason.

The other is that US immigration authorities first wanted to just send them back to Canada, but they were denied entry back to Canada by Canadian immigration.

So, while it’s true that US immigration can be very heavy-handed at times, this bunch seems like a very suspicious lot, and it sounds like after they’re deported they will no longer be welcome in either Canada OR the US again.

[Riemann]

Dammit wolfpup, your inconvenient facts are harshing the mellow of our recreational outrage.

[AK84]

@EinsteinsHund

So American border control one time did the right thing and didn’t discriminate against brown skin, wrongly bearded or dressed folk or the wrong kind of passport? What you’re all complaining about? (Yeah, I’m cynical tonight…)

They aren’t supposed to do that to these kind of people.

Two weeks seems long. A few hours or even a day to verify the claim…yeah its lousy to be in that situation but at least its reasonable.
And the British mission heads in each country might have done a better job, just take them back to the UK from whereeve the hell they are being held, if Canada won’t take them back.