Tania Warner and her seven-year-old daughter, Ayla were taken into custody by ICE in March while trying to cross a checkpoint in Texas.
Warner is originally from Penticton but moved to Texas in October of 2021.
She has a Green Card application in process but while her paperwork is under review she is considered a “lawful alien” and is allowed to work.
“They give you six months. It says your application is done on face value. We’re going to give you an extension on your stay because we haven’t gotten to your forms yet, but they look good,” shared Warner on her status.
Warner was returning home from a baby shower, only 20 minutes from home, when she came to the permanent border checkpoint that exists because the area in Texas where they live is close to the Mexican border.
“They basically filter traffic to make sure no one is being trafficked, that there isn’t illicit substances and to detain people, like myself, that they feel shouldn’t be in the country,” shared Warner.
While approaching the checkpoint, Warner readied her paperwork “in case they needed my ID.” The agents took her Texas driver’s license, her work permit and scanned them. She was then asked to pull to the side.
“There were five or six agents. They crowded around me and said, ‘You need to get our of the vehicle.’ I got out and they were staring at me like I should know what was wrong. I had no idea.”
Warner and her daughter were brought inside, and her paperwork was gone through, she and her daughter were fingerprinted and then informed that they were being arrested and detained for an overstay.
“We were in the checkpoint for five and a half hours. We were then transported at 11 p.m. down to McAllen, Texas, to a facility called Ursula and we were detained there for five days,” said Warner. “You’re only supposed to be detained for 48 hours, maximum.”
They were then sent to another detention centre, Dilley Texas Detention Facility, which is owned by a company called Core Civic. It is a for profit detention company.
Warner and her daughter were held for 19 days.
She says the scariest part of the ordeal was at McAllen.
“Their directive is to get people to deport against all costs. Even if you have paperwork right now, their directive is to scare you into self-deporting. It was very scary. I had to manage myself while trying to make it fun for my seven-year-old daughter.”
Warner’s release was delayed because she was not showing in the system at Dilley until the Tuesday following her detainment.
“I don’t know why they incarcerated me the Thursday night. All my paperwork was there. I don’t know why I didn’t show up,” said Warner.
Once Warner was bonded out, at a cost of near $10,000 USD, she was released on bond and deemed a low flight risk. She was fitted with an ankle monitor.“I’m not technically released; I’m on alternative detention.”
While on bond, with the ankle monitor, Warner has a range of 75 miles but her next appointment with ICE is 97 miles away and she is scared that ICE will not honour her bond paperwork that is supposed to keep her from being re-detained.
During their detainment, Warner’s daughter was hurt by cleansing agents used in the centre.
“They use anti-bacterial Dial soap for your body, which strips your skin and then they use heavy-duty commercial detergents. It’s called Detergent X. That basically stripped her skin, and she got a horrible rash all over… It was incredibly hot, itchy, and cracked. She was in a lot of pain.”
While Ayla had physical injuries due to their detention, Warner tried to distract her from the weight of the situation.
“I tried to get her to focus on activities during the day, playing with other kids… There were children there that she bonded with very deeply. “
Her daughter has shown signs of anxiety following their release. Often not wanting to leave her mother’s side.
“She didn’t want to go to school today and told me she wanted to stay with me.”
The conditions while at the detention centres were loud and uncomfortable according to Warner.
“In Ursula, you sleep on the floor on two-inch mats. They don’t give you blankets, they give you space blankets that hold in 90 per cent of your heat but they’re loud and uncomfortable,” said Warner of her experience.
The overall experience was traumatizing for Warner.
“You’re in a concrete cellblock with a guard tower. It’s prison.”
Conditions didn’t improve much when she and her daughter were transferred to Dilley.
“Your time is regimented. There is no comfort for the children. You get bunks with hard mattresses. It’s incarceration. It’s not for children but there are children in there.”
Warner never thought this experience could happen to her. She was obtaining her citizenship legally and her paperwork was in order while she is awaiting review from the government. She travelled with all her documents that said she was legally allowed to be in the United States.
“I never in a million years thought that if I had legal paperwork… that says that I’m allowed to work in the United States, that they would detain me and throw me in jail with my child.”
She especially didn’t expect this to happen to her as a Canadian.Warner warns others of reporting to their check-ins.
“People’s rights are being violated. It goes against the Bill of Rights and the amendments. And that right now, if you are immigrating, if [the government] sends you a document that says, “Come to this check-in,” it’s entrapment.”
With files from David Nadalini