A woman from Monmouthshire who had been detained in the United States has returned home after a ‘horrendous’ ordeal in an American ICE processing unit.
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00:00A Welsh woman who was detained in the U.S. for nearly three weeks while backpacking in
00:05North America has now returned home and can come back to sunny Wales.
00:09Rebecca Burke, a 28-year-old graphic artist from Monmouthshire, was refused entry into
00:13the U.S. after attempting to cross the border from Canada into Washington state.
00:18After being denied entry, Ms. Burke was placed in handcuffs and taken to the Tacoma Northwest
00:22Detention Facility in Washington, where she remained for almost three weeks.
00:27While in the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, processing centre, she told the BBC
00:31the conditions were horrendous.
00:33ICE centres have been an incredibly controversial topic of conversation in the United States,
00:38with accusations children are being split from their parents, inhumane conditions and
00:42a lack of due process for detainees, while President Donald Trump has consistently defended
00:47the use and expansion of ICE detention centres as essential tools for enforcing U.S. immigration
00:52laws and ensuring national security.
00:55Her family confirmed that she had now been released, and images broadcast by Sky News
00:59showed her being welcomed back at Heathrow Airport.
01:02Ms. Burke had originally arrived in the U.S. at the start of the year, sightseeing in New
01:06York before staying with a host family in Portland, Oregon.
01:09She attempted to enter Canada from Washington, but was told by border officials to reapply
01:13for entry paperwork due to applying for a tourist visa instead of working visa in relation
01:18to her accommodation, but when she attempted to return to the U.S., she was detained.
01:24Her detention sparked concerns over visa policies and the treatment of travellers crossing
01:28borders in North America, as well as rising tensions between the U.S. and Canada.
01:33A crowdfunder set up by Rebecca's Friends raised over £9,000, and any surplus money
01:38will now be donated to charities in the Seattle area for people experiencing similar ordeals.