British family detained in US after 'accidentally crossing border to avoid hitting animal'
David Connors, his wife Eileen and their three-month-old son are said to have been left "traumatised" after being detained.
Wednesday 16 October 2019 19:47, UK
A British family say they are being held in the US after accidentally crossing the border while trying to avoid hitting an animal in the road.
David Connors, his wife Eileen and their three-month-old son were detained on 2 October after driving across the US-Canada border near Vancouver during a family holiday.
Mr Connors' brother, Michael Connors, his wife, Grace, and their two-year-old twin daughters are also said to have been detained.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed seven British citizens had been arrested but said video surveillance had shown their vehicle "slowly and deliberately driving through a ditch" to cross the border illegally.
Record checks had later shown that two of the adults had previously been denied permission to travel to the US, it added.
Efforts were made to return the family to Canada but the country refused to take them and two attempts to contact the UK consulate were "unsuccessful", CBP said.
The Foreign Office has confirmed the family are being held and says it is working with US authorities.
The Connors' lawyer claims they have been left "traumatised" after being mistreated at Berks Family Residential Centre in Leesport, Pennsylvania - an allegation vehemently denied by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
According to a complaint filed by Aldea - the People's Justice Centre on behalf of the family, David Connors was initially taken to a detention centre in Tacoma, Washington, while his wife Eileen was placed in a hotel with her son.
After the trio were flown more than 2,500 miles to Berks Family Residential Centre, where they have been since 5 October, it is alleged they have been kept in "frigid" temperatures in their cells.
The three-month-old appears to have an eye infection and "rough and blotchy skin" due to the poor conditions, the complaint says.
Eileen Connors has alleged that her son's formula was confiscated for three days at the centre.
She says in the complaint: "When I ask 'How I am supposed to keep my baby warm in this horrible cold?', all they tell me is to put a hat on him.
"My baby can't wear a hat all the time, he feels uncomfortable with hats and mittens and starts to cry."
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has denied allegations of mistreatment at Berks Family Residential Centre, saying they are "completely false and unfounded".
A spokesperson said claims of abuse or inhumane conditions at the facility are "unequivocally false" and it is "committed to ensuring that those in our custody reside in safe and humane environments and under appropriate conditions".