A Canadian woman and her seven-year-old daughter have been released from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention after nearly three weeks, following the posting of a $9,500 bond. Tania Warner and her daughter Ayla Luca, both Canadian citizens, were deemed not a flight risk by a judge, though Warner has been fitted with an ankle monitor.
The pair were initially detained on 14 March at a checkpoint in Sarita, Texas, while driving home from a baby shower. They were taken into custody for fingerprinting but were not returned. Warner's husband, Edward Warner, a US citizen, said ICE officials claimed she had overstayed her visa, but he provided a copy of an employment authorisation card valid until June 2030.
Warner described the conditions at the Rio Grande Valley processing centre as 'horrific', with no beds and lights on 24 hours a day. After being transferred to the Dilley immigration processing centre, she said there was still no privacy and that ICE agents pressured her to 'self-deport'. She stated she does not want to leave the US but has been left with a negative impression of the country.
The family maintains that all immigration paperwork is up-to-date and that the detention was arbitrary. They will now face hearings to determine whether they can remain in the US or face deportation. Global Affairs Canada confirmed awareness of multiple cases of Canadians in US immigration detention but cited privacy considerations in declining to comment further.
