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The coast of White Rock, British Columbia, in western Canada seems to be a great place for a run, with its panoramic views of Semiahmoo Bay to the west and many riverfront restaurants and restaurants. seafood in the east. That's what 19-year-old Cedella Roman thought when she was jogging along the smooth beaches of the region – heading south, in particular – on May 21st.
Roman, who lives in France, was visiting his mother in the North Delta area of British Columbia. During her race, she admired the scenery when she inadvertently crossed Canada's border into the United States, Roman told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
It turns out that the line of demarcation between the two countries is only about three miles from the coast from the popular wooden pier of White Rock.
Roman told CBC News that she had seen no sign that she was about to enter the United States, but that two customs officers and protection officers United States borders approached shortly after his accidental departure from Canada.
"An officer stopped me and started telling me that I had crossed the border illegally," Roman told the news website. "I told him that I did not do it on purpose, and that I did not understand what was going on."
A map provided by CNN indicates that Roman crossed the border near the Arch of Peace, a white marble monument erected in 1921 as "the first monument in the world dedicated to peace". The arch spans the Canada-US border and carries the words "CHILDREN OF A COMMON MOTHER" on one side and "HOUSING TOGETHER UNIT" on the other, intended to celebrate the 39, friendship between the two North American countries.
Roman, who wore no identity papers or proof of citizenship with her while jogging, told CBC News that she thought the Border Patrol agents would simply let her go with a warning.
This was not to be the case, according to US immigration officials, who confirmed the subsequent events in an email to the Washington Post.
Instead, the Border Patrol arrested Roman on May 21, "treated him as an accelerated expulsion", and then transferred him to custody of immigration and customs rights, according to ICE spokeswoman Carissa Cutrell.
On May 22, Roman was taken to the NWI Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, about 140 miles south of the border point where she was arrested. She remained in detention until June 5, when, after two weeks of paperwork and treatment, Roman was brought back to the border "and sent back to Canada," Cutrell said.
When asked why Roman had been detained for two weeks, an ICE representative indicated that Romain's status as a French citizen rather than a Canadian citizen may have lengthened the time needed to process his case. .
"Once the US Border Patrol transfers an individual to the CIE for expedited return to Canada, ICE must review the case and obtain permission from the Canada Border Services Agency to complete the removal", said an official of the ICE. "It can take several days, especially when the individual is a national of a third country."
Neither Roman nor his mother, Christiane Ferne, could be reached on Saturday morning. Roman, however, told CBC News that she was scared after border patrol agents put her in "caged vehicles" to transport her to a detention center.
"They asked me to remove all my personal belongings with my jewels, they searched me everywhere," Roman told the news website. "Then I realized that it was getting very serious, and I started crying a bit."
Ferne called his daughter's arrest a "trap" and told CBC News that she had immediately provided the necessary travel documents to Roman.
"It was just unfair that there was nothing, no sign at the border," Ferne told the news website. "Everyone can be taken to the border like this."
ICE said it received Roman's documents on May 24 and that the Canada Border Services Agency notified ICE on May 29 that it "would be willing to determine [Roman’s] It's unclear why Roman was not brought back to the Canada-US border until June 5, nearly a week later.
A US Customs and Border Protection official told The Post that it was incumbent on those traveling near the border to carry a piece of identification at all times.
"If a person enters the United States at a place other than an official point of entry and without inspection by a customs officer and border protection, she has entered the United States illegally and will be treated accordingly, "said a spokesman. E-mail. "It is the responsibility of a person who travels close to an international border to remain aware of its environment and its location at all times to ensure that it does not cross not illegally border.
– The Washington Post
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