British family detained in US for ‘illegally crossing border’ return to UK
Written by News on 17/10/2019
A British family detained for illegally entering the US have been released and deported to the UK.
David Connors, 30, his wife Eileen, 24, and their three-month-old son, as well as relatives Michael Connors, his wife Grace and their two-year-old twin daughters, had been in custody since 2 October.
The Connors family claimed they accidentally crossed the border while holidaying in Canada after they swerved to avoid an animal and drove down a side road.
American authorities dispute their version of events, saying they have video footage of the family’s car driving “slowly and deliberately through a ditch” across the border.
A spokesperson from Aldea The People’s Justice Centre, representing the family, said they were no longer being held in the Berks Family Residential Centre and were being “removed to the UK”.
All seven family members have been moved to Enforcement and Removal Operations in Seattle, where they will be “processed as expedited removals”, according to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
A statement from the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) claims the family were arrested minutes after they were seen driving into Blaine, Washington.
The CBP also said two adult family members were previously denied travel authorisation to enter the US.
A spokesperson said attempts were made to return the family to Canada, but Canada would not allow their return, and two attempts to contact the British consulate were unsuccessful.
The family alleges they were mistreated while held in detention and forced to endure cold and inadequate facilities.
In a previous statement, Mrs Connors said she felt they had been “kidnapped” by customs officials.
“We had no information about where they were taking us or why. It almost felt like an abduction or kidnapping,” she said.
Mrs Connors said the family had tried to explain their “mistake” but were “detained anyway and treated in a way no human deserves to be treated”.
(c) Sky News 2019: British family detained in US for ‘illegally crossing border’ return to UK
