Immigrant families facing days of detention after a simple wrong turn at the US-Canada border

A growing number of accidental wrong turns near Detroit’s Ambassador Bridge have resulted in detentions of immigrants, many of whom are without legal status in the US, according to findings shared during a press conference led by Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and advocacy groups, as per a report by NPR.

At the briefing held on Thursday, the Michigan Immigrant Rights Centre and the ACLU of Michigan said that since January, at least 213 people have been detained after mistakenly driving onto the bridge that connects Detroit to Canada. Representative Tlaib said CBP informed her that nearly 90% of the detained individuals had entered the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) area by mistake.

“Our neighbours and family should not be disappearing because of a wrong turn,” Tlaib said, citing NPR’s earlier reporting.

Among those detained were families with children. Tlaib reported one family was held for 12 days, including two US citizen children. According to the Michigan Immigrant Rights Centre, the location of the children is currently unknown.

CBP also informed Tlaib that 40 of the detained individuals were identified as “known Tren de Aragua” gang members from Venezuela. The representative further shared that a man held at a nearby CBP site attempted suicide two weeks ago. Officers found him trying to hang himself and took him to a hospital before transferring him to ICE custody. His condition is unknown.

In March, NPR reported the case of Sarahi, a Guatemalan woman living in the U.S. without documents. She said she mistakenly drove onto the bridge while heading to a local store and was arrested. She and her two young U.S.-citizen children were then held in a CBP office building near the bridge.

Sarahi told NPR that what happened “felt like a kidnapping.” She said they were held in a windowless room, with no diapers, limited food, and no access to a lawyer for nearly six days. When her children became sick, there was no medical help, she claimed.

The Michigan Immigrant Rights Centre and ACLU said they have been receiving reports for months about people, including children, being held in office spaces near the Ambassador Bridge. Some of these include migrants turned back from seeking asylum in Canada.

Miriam Aukerman, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Michigan, said, “It is naive to think that if we tolerate incommunicado detentions for non-citizens, the government won't be doing the same for citizens.”

Tlaib said CBP called the use of this site for family detentions a “brand new situation.” During her visit, she saw a supply room with diapers, snacks, toys, and emergency medical staff, according to CBP.

Lawyers and advocates say the site is not equipped for log term stays, especially for according

Lawyers and advocates say the site is not equipped for long-term stays, especially for families with children.

(With inputs from NPR)