British cartoonist locked up at Tacoma ICE detention center

British tourist being held at Tacoma ICE detention center

A 28-year-old British woman who had been backpacking in the United States this winter is now locked up at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma

TACOMA, Wash. - A 28-year-old British woman who had been backpacking in the United States this winter is now locked up at the Northwest ICE Processing Center.

The backstory:

Becky Burke is a cartoonist who had been sharing her adventures on Instagram, where it shows she had been staying in Portland and Seattle.

In a Facebook post from her father, Paul Burke, he says Becky has no criminal record and was en route to Canada when she was denied entry due to an "incorrect visa." He says she was refused re-entry into the United States, then classified as an "illegal alien" before being handcuffed and taken by ICE.

In a statement to FOX 13, ICE confirmed Burke is still detained in Tacoma, with no timeline for her release.

"Rebecca Burke, 28, a citizen of the United Kingdom is detained by ICE at the Northwest ICE Processing Center related to the violation of the terms and conditions of her admission. All aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and if found removable by final order, removal from the United States regardless of nationality.

"U.S. Customs and Border Protection says it could not comment on Burke's case but said on background: "Individuals who travel to the US under the Visa Waiver Program are not allowed to work for any type of compensation. That includes work in exchange for room and board."

What they're saying:

Burke's Instagram account shows she was participating in Workaway, a cultural exchange that expects participants to "to help around five hours per day in exchange for food and accommodation."

"The immigration laws are not something ask forgiveness for later," said Abtin Bahador, attorney for Ryan Swanson & Cleveland, PLLC.

Bahador says while it's the responsibility of the traveler to know the rules, what happened to Burke was heavy-handed.

"[CBP} could definitely show more compassion, more grace," said Bahador.

For the past five years, Bahador has also been the liaison with Customs and Border Protection in Washington State for the American Immigration Attorneys Association, and believes CBP officers could have made another choice with Burke.

"If the CBP officer at the border had wanted to, they could probably have arranged it to say you know what? Do you have the financial ability to buy a plane ticket home? There's tons of flights everyday out of SEATAC International Airport to Europe," said Bahador. "They could have placed her on that plane, let her go home and voluntarily depart from the United States."

For now, Paul Burke is deeply concerned over the conditions his daughter is enduring at ICE and is asking for help to bring his daughter back to the United Kingdom.

The Source: Information in this story is from social media posts from Paul and Becky Burke, ICE, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.