Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and legal advocates recently gained access to a detention center at the Ambassador Bridge, revealing details about U.S. Customs and Border Patrol’s policies for accidental crossings by undocumented immigrants and conditions at the site.
Local law offices and immigration advocates say accidental crossings happen every day, but with new policy directives from the Trump administration, the aftermath for these accidental crossings can be devastating. In a change in policy, these individuals are being deported, Tlaib said during a press conference Thursday alongside the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) and ACLU of Michigan.
In other cases, the detainees may end up in “no man’s land” according to a local attorney, or be detained for extended periods without due process and resources, she said. Tlaib highlighted that now, instead of getting a warning and going before a judge, immigrants are being held with little transparency about their situation and deported.
“Now there’s no ‘catch and release,’” said Tlaib, a Detroit democrat.
Two instances of undocumented immigrants accidentally crossing into Canada over the Ambassador Bridge made national news in recent weeks.
A Guatemalan woman was detained at the border with her children when she accidentally put in GPS directions to the Costco in Windsor; a Venezuelan man was deported after accidentally crossing the bridge while delivering McDonald’s and trying to return through the Detroit-Windsor tunnel.
Between January, when President Donald Trump took office, and March 21 – the day Tlaib was allowed inside the detention center – U.S. Customs and Border Protection detained an average of 3.5 people per day in Detroit. Of the 213 people, 90% accidentally took the wrong lane onto the Ambassador Bridge from Detroit, said Tlaib. Twelve of them were families, according to Tlaib.
“We don’t know how many have been detained since then,” Tlaib said.
“It’s very common,” said Atiya Shahad, founder of law firm Atiya Law, where every year she has several clients who have accidentally crossed into Canada, some of whom have been deported as a result.
CBP Detroit said in a statement to BridgeDetroit that it is aware of the accidental crossings and it is deporting people.
“If an alien cannot provide valid documentation or establish a lawful basis to enter or remain in the United States, they may be deemed inadmissible under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and subject to removal proceedings,” spokesperson Youssef Fawaz said by email.
“CBP is aware of instances where individuals, including illegal aliens, have made unintended entries into Canada from Michigan ports of entry, or attempted to re-enter the United States without proper documentation,” he said. “Freeway signage alerts motorists well in advance of an upcoming port of entry. This includes overhead signs as well as markings on the actual roadway, all designed to clearly indicate approaching border crossings. These directional indicators provide multiple opportunities for motorists to remain in the United States and avoid unintentionally entering Canada.”
Ricardo Prada Vásquez was detained for two months before being deported to El Salvador, where he hasn’t been seen since, a recent New York Times investigation revealed. The Guatemalan woman and her two kids who were trying to get to Costco were held for almost a week without access to legal counsel, according to MIRC.
“A wrong turn should not lead to a disappearance,” said Tlaib, who said she’s lobbied for more signage around the bridge. A Canadian and American flag was added to the entrance to identify the border better, Tlaib said, but it has been hard to get the owners, the Moroun family, to increase clarity about the bridge being a border entrance.
“People are still making this innocent mistake that now has the possibility to destroy their lives.”
Data on detentions at the Detroit office came out after Tlaib made a visit in person to the office near the Ambassador Bridge. A congressional visit requires 24 hours’ notice. Tlaib said at Thursday’s press conference she was told by BPD officials not to bring her own camera or phone into the office visit. She said the conditions, “a room with two basic cots,” were not acceptable for long-term detentions.
“From the Congressional visit, we learned that there were some people there for up to 300 hours, which is over 12 days,” Ruby Robinson, managing attorney for MIRC, said at Thursday’s press conference.
CBP did not provide BridgeDetroit with any data about accidental border crossings for undocumented individuals.
Miriam Aukerman, senior staff attorney for ACLU of Michigan, said her office has been demanding answers from CBP about the site and detainee numbers since February, sent a demand letter and submitted Freedom of Information Act requests without response.
“When we, as attorneys, for weeks on end, cannot get the most basic information, like how many U.S. citizen children CBP has detained a few miles from our office – that’s a really scary place to be. CBP needs to come clean,” she said.
The immigration law advocates are calling for the end of secret detention and to employ a detainee locator that is currently used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Advocates also called for CBP sites to stop long-term detentions and allow increased congressional oversight and visits, like Tlaib’s.
Aukerman said it’s also hard to verify the information CBP is giving without access to the detainees.
“Truth requires access,” said Aukerman.