‘The nightmare is over’: British backpacker reunited with family after Tacoma ICE detainment

A woman has finally returned to the United Kingdom (UK) after a visa mix-up landed her in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Tacoma, reported The Guardian Tuesday.

According to The Seattle Times, 28-year-old Becky Burke was denied entry to Canada while on a backpacking trip and was detained when she tried to re-enter the U.S. She was subsequently held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center for 19 days, stated The BBC.

Burke was reunited with her family and friends this week at Heathrow Airport, with her father telling BBC Wales, “The nightmare is over.”

The Seattle Times reported Burke’s father said his daughter had “incorrect visa” paperwork.

Burke, stated The BBC, was on the “trip of a lifetime,” backpacking through North America and helping families with household chores in exchange for a place to stay. Her father told The BBC that Canadian authorities were concerned Burke would work illegally.

Related from MyNorthwest: ICE Seattle announces 3 more ‘significant public threats’ arrested

British backpacker turned away in Canada before U.S. ICE detainment

The media outlet added that at the end of February, Burke had made her way to Seattle with plans to eventually stop in Vancouver, Canada, to stay with another family. However, Burke was then told by Canadian authorities that she needed to go back to America, where she was then detained in Tacoma.

Burke told The BBC the conditions inside the ICE facility were “horrendous.”

A spokesperson for ICE previously told the media outlet it could not discuss the case but that travelers were treated with “integrity, respect and according to law.”

On Tuesday, MyNorthwest reported two alleged members of a Venezuelan gang were arrested by agents with ICE in Spokane County.

Related from MyNorthwest: ICE arrests alleged Tren de Aragua gang members in Spokane, sparks some outcry

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