Brit, 28, on dream trip ‘locked up’ amid Donald Trump immigration crackdown after visa error
A young Brit who set off on her dream backpacking trip across the pond has been “locked up in an orange prison jumpsuit” after a “visa mix-up” at the US border.
Becky Burke, 28, was supposed to be on a “life-changing” four-month long trip across North America but was detained in “horrendous” conditions at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing centre in Washington state. Her dad, Paul Burke, said she was denied entry to the Canadadian border due to an “incorrect visa” on February 26 – following Trump’s immigration crack down.
The backpacker was then refused re-entry to the US and treated like an “illegal alien”, Paul said. He added that he could not understand why she was “locked up and she’s in an orange prison jumpsuit while the paperwork gets sorted out.” Paul said: “What was meant to be a life-changing four-month backpacking trip across North America has turned into a nightmare.”
Becky, from Monmouthshire, Wales, is now “sharing a cell, surviving on a diet of cold rice, potatoes, and beans (she is vegan), and has limited access to phone calls”. Her dad added: “We are doing everything we can. Our local MP has contacted [foreign secretary] David Lammy’s office, and we are in touch with the British consulate in London and San Francisco.”
“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”, Paul said. In yet another blow to the tourist, her family have been unable to add money to her inmate account for essentials because they’re not American. They have resorted to reaching out to their American friends for help.
“An American friend is helping by sending funds to her inmate account so she can buy basic necessities like tea and milk,” Paul added. “However, progress has been slow, and we urgently need more support.”
Becky, a comic book artist, first flew from New York to Portland, Oregon, to spent time with a host family. At the end of February, she arrived in Seattle and planned to travel to Vancouver in Canada to stay with another family.
Paul said she was denied entry because authorities suspected she may have been trying to work illegally. He theorised authorities may have suspected her accommodation arrangements broke the terms of her tourist visa. But despite being a tourist with no criminal record, she was handcuffed and taken to the detention facility in Tacoma, Washington.
Her family are now desperately calling on help to get her home and have requested voluntary departure, only to be told it has to be approved by a judge. The family said that they do not know “how to make that happen”.
A spokesperson for the FCDO said: “We are supporting a British national detained in the USA and are in contact with the local authorities.” No further details were given. Paul is now sending a warning to travellers across the globe to be “very careful” about visa requirements.
Get email updates with the day’s biggest stories