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Controversy Arises Over Immigration Detention Case in Detroit
DETROIT (AP) — A Guatemalan mother claims that she and her two U.S.-born daughters were detained for almost a week by customs officials in Detroit after mistakenly following directions to the nearest Costco, which led them to an international bridge linking the United States and Canada.
Her case has now prompted removal proceedings, scheduled for June, as stated by Ruby Robinson, a senior managing attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center.
On Thursday, Robinson, U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib, and the ACLU of Michigan urged U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to enhance accountability and transparency regarding detentions along the U.S.-Canada border.
“Our neighbors and families should not be disappearing because they made a wrong turn,” Tlaib emphasized during the press conference.
While encounters with migrants are significantly less frequent at the northern border compared to the U.S.-Mexico border, Tlaib noted that this mother’s experience is not an isolated incident.
According to Tlaib’s discussions with CBP, approximately 213 individuals had been detained at the same location since January, with many, over 90%, ending up unintentionally at the toll plaza due to navigational errors. Additionally, she mentioned that 12 families had also been held in the same facility where the woman was taken.
“There’s a significant lack of transparency regarding these incidents,” she remarked, highlighting concerns that similar detentions may be occurring along the entire 5,525-mile (8,891-kilometer) northern border.
In contrast, CBP reported that just over 200 undocumented individuals were encountered from January 20 to March 21 at crossings in Detroit, with roughly half detained and subsequently handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after thorough processing.
The woman in question, who has been living in the U.S. for approximately six years without legal status, was confirmed to have two daughters, aged 5 and 1, who are U.S. citizens. The family resides in Southwest Detroit, a community characterized by a significant Hispanic presence and located near the Ambassador Bridge, across the river from Windsor, Ontario.
On March 8, while her 19-year-old brother was driving, the mother utilized a mobile app to locate the closest Costco store, unaware it was situated on the Canadian side of the border. Upon arriving at the toll plaza, they were intercepted by CBP agents, who took them to a nearby facility where she was interrogated and fingerprinted. She was also required to sign a document acknowledging her unlawful entry into the U.S.
During this ordeal, agents allegedly advised her that she would face deportation and urged her to return to Guatemala with her daughters, as reported by Robinson.
The family was confined in a small, windowless room where they slept on cots and were provided minimal microwaveable meals. They were only permitted to exit the room for restroom visits and showers.
By March 10, the younger daughter started exhibiting signs of illness, with a fever. Agents reportedly informed the mother that no medication was available for her child, and shortly after, her older daughter also developed a cough.
On a later restroom visit, the family encountered her brother in shackles and learned he, too, lacks legal status. He is employed as a roofer alongside the children’s father.
The following night, the children were handed over to their aunt, and the mother was released the next day.
“When individuals violate immigration laws, their choices make them subject to detention and removal,” stated Hilton Beckham, CBP Assistant Commissioner for Public Affairs, in a formal statement. Beckham noted that the mother acknowledged unlawfully entering the U.S. in 2018, and while CBP thus aimed to find a responsible guardian for her U.S. citizen children, she opted initially to keep them with her, resulting in prolonged detention. Once the children were in the care of a guardian, she was transferred to ICE.
Tlaib expressed concern that such detentions are indicative of a broader trend where short-term facilities are being utilized for extended periods by the CBP. She stated, “The erosion of due process is a threat to all of us — no matter your name or immigration status. A wrong turn should not lead to a disappearance and an erosion of someone’s due process.”
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