U.K. family deported after suspicious border crossing

A traveling British family touring Vancouver, B.C. was apprehended when their vehicle illegally crossed over the border into the U.S. along East Boundary Road near Lynden. The incident occurred around 9 p.m. on October 2.

Surveillance footage from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) showed the Connors family’s car traversing the ditch between 0 Avenue and East Boundary Road “slowly and deliberately,” according to a CBP statement. A few minutes after their crossing, they were met by a border patrol agent.

The family claimed that they had swerved to avoid hitting an unspecified animal in the road.

According to CBP, two of the adults in the Connors family had been previously denied travel authorization to enter the U.S.

“Attempts were made to return the individuals to Canada; however, Canada refused to allow their return and two attempts to contact the consulate for the U.K. were unsuccessful,” CBP’s statement read.

Border officials said $16,000 was found inside their vehicle.

The entire Connors family, four adults and three children, were handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the following day, October 3, at 3 p.m.

The detained individuals reported unsatisfactory and unsanitary conditions in their temporary residence at the Berks Family Residential Center (BFRC) in Pennsylvania, where they were sent.

According to media reports, 24-year-old Eileen Connors wrote that they were “treated like criminals” and claimed her infant got a cold, his eye was “swollen and teary” and his skin was “rough and blotchy.”

“BFRC provides a safe and humane environment for families as they go through the immigration process,” an ICE spokesperson said. “BFRC supports all sanctioned local, state and federal investigations into the safety and welfare of our residents.”

The Connors family was deported home and returned to England on October 16.