A British family who were detained after crossing the US border could be released within a day, according to their lawyers.
David Connors, 30, and his 24-year-old wife Eileen were arrested by border force officials on October 3 after crossing the US-Canada border while on holiday.
The couple – along with their three-month-old baby – have been detained for the past 13 days.
Their relatives Michael Connors and his wife Grace, who were accompanied by their two-year-old twin daughters, were also arrested.
In a sworn statement, David and Eileen said they did not realise they had crossed the border when they swerved into a side road to avoid hitting an animal.
But the pair said they were not given the chance to return to Canada, despite explaining their mistake.
“We were detained anyway and treated in a way no human deserves to be treated,” Eileen said.
The family were originally taken to a facility in Washington state before being flown across the US to the Berks Family Residential Centre in Pennsylvania, where they are currently being held.
“We had no information about where they were taking us or why. It almost felt like an abduction or kidnapping,” she continued.
In the statement, Eileen also complained of poor conditions, including severe cold and inadequate facilities to feed her young son, but said conditions improved once they were allowed to contact the British embassy.
“We have been treated like criminals here, stripped of our rights and lied to,” she said. “We have been traumatised.
“The idea and memory of our little baby having to sleep on the dirty floor of a cell will haunt us forever.”
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has denied allegations of poor conditions or mistreatment at the facility.
In a statement to PA Media, the CBP said its evidence contradicted that of the Connors family.
The CBP said: “A vehicle was observed via remote video surveillance system turning west onto Avenue 0 in British Columbia, Canada, at approximately 9pm, October 2.
“The vehicle then turned south and entered the US illegally, by slowly and deliberately driving through a ditch onto Boundary Road in Blaine, Washington.
“The vehicle travelled west on Boundary Road continuing on the United States side, and was pulled over by a Border Patrol agent a short time later.”
The statement said the family members were arrested minutes later on suspicion of illegally entering the United States without inspection.
Attempts were made to return the individuals to Canada, however Canada refused to allow their return and two attempts to contact the United Kingdom consulate were unsuccessful, the CBP said.
According to a spokesman from Aleda – the People’s Justice Centre, which is representing the family, ICE said they could be released from the facility on Wednesday.
The spokesman said: “Unlike the southern border, there are no markings, there is no fence, nothing that indicates one side of the street is the US and the other is Canada. It is only separated by a strip of grass a few feet wide.
“It is not the first time a foreign citizen accidentally crosses the border and becomes tangled in the dangerous web of immigration detention.”
The family are very upset and “emotionally affected”, he said. “They are being held against their will from the start and they just want to go home.
“They met with ICE earlier today (Tuesday) and they were told they would be gone in the next 24 hours – however they don’t know who to believe or who to trust, as they have been told before they would leave within a certain time, and those plans have changed repeatedly.”
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been assisting the Connors family.
In a statement on Tuesday, ICE officials said: “On October 3, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) transferred Eileen and David Connors, as well as additional family members, to the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Seattle to be processed as expedited removals.
“From there, ERO relocated the family to the Berks Family Residential Centre (BFRC). BFRC provides a safe and humane environment for families as they move through the immigration process.
“For operational security, ICE does not discuss specific removal arrangements prior to an individual’s successful repatriation.”