A British backpacker spent 10 days in a U.S. immigration detention facility wearing an orange prison jumpsuit — all because she planned to walk a family's dog in exchange for accommodation during her travels.
Rebecca Burke, 28, a graphic artist from Monmouthshire, found herself handcuffed and detained when trying to re-enter the United States from Canada. U.S. immigration officials determined that her planned arrangement to do household chores for a host family in Washington state required a work visa rather than the tourist visa she was traveling under, as reported in The Guardian.
Burke had already been staying with a host family in Portland under a similar setup after beginning her North American adventure in New York City. When she attempted to cross into Canada, authorities there directed her back to the U.S. to complete additional paperwork. But upon trying to return to U.S. soil, she was arrested and taken to the Tacoma Northwest detention facility.
"It's like we're living in a nightmare we can't wake up from," said her father Paul Burke. "We're watching ourselves go through the motions of life, but we're not really doing it, we're not really there." He explained that his daughter is being held in "horrendous conditions" without access to legal representation, though fellow detainees have shown her kindness.
The family's local MP Catherine Fookes is working to resolve the situation, stating: "I am deeply concerned about my constituent's welfare and the distress this situation is causing her and her family. Her family is desperate to bring her home, and I share their urgency in seeking a resolution."
Previously:
• Jogger in Canada accidentally crosses over U.S. border and gets detained for 2 weeks
• Comics creator stopped by TSA for carrying script about writer under suspicion by TSA
• Mayor of Stockton, CA detained by DHS at SFO, forced to give up laptop password
• Two US citizens detained by a Border Patrol agent for speaking Spanish
• Texas man illegally detained and truck ransacked by cops: video exposes rights violations
