British backpacker detained in US for over 10 days after visa mix-up, family say

A British tourist on a four-month backpacking trip around North America has been detained by immigration officials in the US for more than 10 days after trying to enter the country via the Canadian border.

Rebecca Burke, 28, a graphic artist from Monmouthshire, was trying to cross into the state of Washington when she was refused entry.

She was planning to stay with a host family – where she would carry out domestic chores in exchange for accommodation – and was told she should have applied for a working visa, instead of a tourist visa.

She had previously been staying with a host family in Portland, Oregon, under a similar arrangement after spending some time sightseeing in New York City, where she first arrived from the UK at the start of the year.

However, when she tried to re-enter the US, she was handcuffed and put in a cell before being taken to Tacoma Northwest detention facility in Washington state.

Speaking to Sky News, her father, Paul, said: “What was meant to be a life-changing four-month backpacking trip across North America has turned into a nightmare.

“Becky has now been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for over 10 days, with no clear timeline for her release.

“Unfortunately, due to an incorrect visa, she was denied entry into Canada. When she tried to return to the US, she was refused re-entry and classified as an ‘illegal alien’.

“Despite being a tourist with no criminal record, she was handcuffed and taken to a detention facility in Tacoma, Washington.”

Mr Burke described his daughter’s current situation as “deeply concerning”.

“She is sharing a cell, surviving on a diet of cold rice, potatoes, and beans as she is a vegan, and has limited access to phone calls,” he said.

“Visitors are restricted to speaking through a glass screen via telephone. All her possessions have been confiscated, and she feels isolated and desperate to come home.”

Mr Burke said he had been in touch with his MP who had contacted Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s office.

He told Sky News that an immigration official had visited his daughter yesterday and her case was being given a higher priority.

“I think all the media and political pressure and the British Consulate, I think together, it’s now raised the profile such that she’s being put up priority list,” he told the broadcaster.

“But she was told by the ICE officer it could still be another 10 days. Why can it not be tomorrow?”

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman said: “We are supporting a British national detained in the USA and are in contact with the local authorities.”