British tourist held in US immigration detention centre for three weeks due to visa mix-up returns to UK
18 March 2025, 17:38
A British woman who was detained in a US immigration detention facility for nearly three weeks has returned to the UK, officials have confirmed.
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Rebecca Burke was detained while on a four-month backpacking trip around North America.
The 28-year-old from Monmouthshire was trying to cross into the state of Washington when she was refused entry, after trying to enter Canada.
Burke 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.
The graphic designer 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.
But Canadian authorities refused her entry, instead telling her to go back to the US and fill in new paperwork before returning to cross into Canada.
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.
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Her father, Paul, described his daughter's situation as "deeply concerning" when she was detained.
Mr Burke 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."
"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 added.
"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."
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman said: "We supported a British national who was detained in the USA and were in contact with the local authorities."
Sky News broadcast images of Ms Burke being welcomed at Heathrow airport by a loved one.
Her return to the UK comes after her family confirmed she had been released from an immigration detention centre.
