A British family has been deported after a wrong turn led to nearly 2 weeks in ICE detention

[Jopie Fourie]

A British family has been deported after a wrong turn led to nearly 2 weeks in ICE detention. Here's how they got entangled in a US immigration nightmare.

The Connors' story shows how just one unintentional violation of US immigration law can land a family in weeks of detention in an unfamiliar country.

www.businessinsider.co.za

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A British family made international headlines this week after revealing they had been detained by US immigration authorities for nearly two weeks in what they called "the scariest experience of our entire lives," after they apparently crossed the US-Canada border accidentally and drove down an unmarked US road.


Seven members of the Connors family, including a three-month-old infant and two-year-old twin girls, were arrested by Border Patrol agents on October 2, and remained in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center at least until October 15.


The organisation representing the Connors, Aldea - The People's Justice Center, told Insider in a statement Wednesday afternoon that ICE had confirmed the family was deported to the United Kingdom.

An ICE official would not confirm the deportation to Insider, saying in a statement that "ICE does not discuss specific removal arrangements prior to an individual's successful repatriation" due to security concerns. But as of Wednesday afternoon, the Connors were no longer publicly listed on ICE's online detainee locator system.

The family said they were driving near the border when they swerved to dodge an animal, and drove down an unmarked road that they later discovered was US territory. US officials have disputed this, telling Insider the family was seen on surveillance video "slowly and deliberately" driving through a ditch and entering the US illegally.

 

[Budza]

Let's see the video then.

 

[Nerfherder]

The family said they were driving near the border when they swerved to dodge an animal, and drove down an unmarked road that they later discovered was US territory. US officials have disputed this, telling Insider the family was seen on surveillance video "slowly and deliberately" driving through a ditch and entering the US illegally.

LOL

On one side of the boarder is a 20ft wall and other the other side is a ditch that you can drive over.


I wonder how often this happens ?

Surely they could have just turned them around and escorted them back to the boarder ?

 

[Pitbull]

There is an interchange from the US to Canada where you go through border security.

However if you take the wrong turn you end up coming into the check point from the Canada side from the US. That has cause massive issues before. I saw it on a TV show, just trying to remember what border crossing it was.

 

[maumau]

There is an interchange from the US to Canada where you go through border security.

However if you take the wrong turn you end up coming into the check point from the Canada side from the US. That has cause massive issues before. I saw it on a TV show, just trying to remember what border crossing it was.

Also seen this on Border Security. It seems very easy to choose the wrong turn and the men manning the border are brutal.

 

[TysonRoux]

Also seen this on Border Security. It seems very easy to choose the wrong turn and the men manning the border are brutal.

What I've seen on that show is those that make such a mistake are subject to standard processing, and if they're all clear they send them back over the border, and those found with warrants, or drugs, are dealt with as criminals.

Canadian border officials do the same.

 

[Gordon_R]

I read the story several days ago, and while the article gives a detailed overview of what can go wrong, it misses a significant point. Don't always believe the 'victims' version of a story.

According to the followup story on the BBC, two of the people had previously been denied access to the USA. This makes their 'unintentional' crossing an entirely different category of mistake, and subject to very harsh treatment: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50067575

 

[Polymathic]

I read the story several days ago, and while the article gives a detailed overview of what can go wrong, it misses a significant point. Don't always believe the 'victims' version of a story.

According to the followup story on the BBC, two of the people had previously been denied access to the USA. This makes their 'unintentional' crossing an entirely different category of mistake, and subject to very harsh treatment: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50067575

Yup, the fact that Canada didn't want to allow them back entrance into the country is telling.