Posted in: Comics, Current News | Tagged: canada, R.E. Burke

R.E Burke Gets Mass Media Coverage And Fundraiser Over US Detention

British comic book creator R.E Burke gets mass media coverage and fundraiser over US detention, but is still detained by ICE

Bleeding Cool broke the story of British cartoonist R.E Burke, or Becky Burke, who had been detained by ICE when crossing the US/Canada border, over what we discovered was a trivial visa issue. Two weeks in, at a detention centre in Tacoma, Washington, in orange prison uniform and sleeping in a dormitory with more than 100 people, the situation has not been resolved, but she has got a lot more press coverage.

The BBC spoke to Becky Burke, and she told them, "They keep saying in all their booklets that this is not a prison. It's hard to distinguish from my conception of a prison. They wake us up at 6:30 am. There is never enough time to sleep. It's so cold. I wear the same jumper for a week. They're short or out of stuff, like blankets and extra clothes. I have one towel." She added many of the people she had met were "stuck" at the centre, separated from their families – in some cases, for years. "Everyone is actually really shocked when I explain my situation. I came to the US for the first time two years ago… I had a great time, that's why I wanted to come back again. I love nature and hiking. Now I see no nature in here at all."

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to raise money for legal fees, visa advisory support, money for food, essentials and to stay in touch with her family, and a flight home, anything left over will be donated to charities that help people in a similar situation.

The Daily Mail reports that she "could spend up to a month in an overcrowded US jail after border guards accused her of having the wrong visa, as her parents fear she has become caught up in President Trump's crackdown on immigration." They report that "A guard teasingly told her she had been moved up the priority list at the centre, but Ms Burke has been told it could be another ten days before a decision is made."

Her father, Paul Burke, told the Times newspaper that Becky had been 'upset' in their daily phone calls but had now been told that her case had moved up the priority list to the media and diplomatic attention it was receiving. "If you're going to put her on top of the priority list, why isn't she on a plane tomorrow? She's been classed as an illegal alien despite being a British tourist who wants to go home. She doesn't want to stay there… She was a little bit more upset than normal. But it was almost like she was slightly relieved that the ICE officer had said she is going up the priority list.  There were almost happy tears, like a release because she's been trapped in this horrendous situation."

Her parents also appeared on the ITV morning show Good Morning Britain today, with Paul Burke saying, "We really just want to get her home; this is a paperwork mix-up, and we can't believe the conditions she's being held in. It's a proper prison environment. Initially, we were very concerned that she was doing a solo trip as a young woman, but when she told us it was to the USA and Canada, we thought it was probably the safest two countries for a British person to do solo travelling. Becky has told us that she was told the detention centre is not a jail, but the conditions are the exact definition of jail – she had all of her possessions confiscated, and she's had to swap her own clothes for a prison jumpsuit… She's a vegan, so she's been given rice, potatoes and mushy beans every day for the last 14 days… We spoke to her yesterday, and she said she's had to see a medic because she has digestive problems. I think most people would have digestive problems after two weeks on cold rice and potatoes."

"Becky's such a sweet, beautiful, unassuming girl who wouldn't say boo to a goose. She flew from Britain into New York in January – before the Trump administration took over – for the holiday of a lifetime. She travelled over to the West Coast and stayed for a fortnight with a family in Portland, Oregon, then in some hostels, staying on people's sofas, then with another family in Seattle, up by the Canadian border. Near the end of February, she was crossing over into Canada by land, with a family in Vancouver waiting at the bus station for her to arrive. She was looking forward to visiting a national park.  But when she got to the Canadian side, they suddenly said this arrangement of staying with a family in return for chores sounded like work, her tourist visa wasn't enough, and she should do the paperwork again. And when she went back to the American side – where she still had a month on her tourist visa – US Immigration and Customs Enforcement told her, 'We're not letting you in here either', and detained her as an illegal alien."

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have indicated to the Daily Mail that Becky is "likely to be deported," according to the spokesman, though this is yet to be confirmed. Becky's parents had requested that she be allowed to voluntarily depart the US to return home, with Mr Burke now hoping that Peter Mandelson, the new UK ambassador to America, can step in.

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