Cartoonist R.E. Burke returns to the UK after three weeks in ICE detention
On February 26, British comic creator (Beck) R.E. Burke was detained by ICE for “visa issues” in Washington state. The Welsh woman was held after being denied entry into Canada over a “visa mix-up.”
Burke arrived in the US on January 7, backpacking around the country. After being in New York, she flew across the country to Portland, Oregon where she spent time with a host family, helping with household chores in return for accommodation.
On February 26, she planned to travel to Vancouver Canada after being in Seattle, Washington. When she reached the Canadian border, she was denied entry as they were concerned she was going to try to work illegally. After that, she spent six hours at the border while American authorities determined if what she had been doing in the US counted as work, even though it wasn’t paid. They still decided she had “violated” her visa.
After about three weeks, Burke is finally being freed and heading home.
Amazing news! Becky is back with her parents in the UK as of earlier this hour. Thank you everyone for your support. If Becky's story moved you, please get involved in an organization that supports imprisoned immigrants. Where Becky was held one is Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. http://www.nwirp.org
— R. E. Burke (@reburked.bsky.social) March 18, 2025 at 10:49 AM
[image or embed]
Amazing news! Becky is back with her parents in the UK as of earlier this hour. Thank you everyone for your support. If Becky’s story moved you, please get involved in an organization that supports imprisoned immigrants. Where Becky was held one is Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. www.nwirp.org
Burke was held in a dormitory of 110 people in a detention center in Tacoma, Washington.
Some details of the detention have come out including being forced to wear the same jumper for a week at a time, blankets, clothes, and towels being in short supply, it being cold, and other detainees in the facility have been there for months or years.
A friend visited Becky Burke yesterday. Becky has frequent 30 second coughing fits that leave her diaphragm sore. It’s terrible to be sick away from home, much less in a prison. She does have access to a doctor to make sure she isn’t dying or anything and she can buy lozenges. She had been wearing the same sweatshirt for two weeks and spend a frigid night without it to have it washed. She thinks that might have contributed to her getting sick on top of the stress of imprisonment. She has been tested once for COVID. Negative. Well-meaning strangers are coming to visit her at the detention center and she really appreciates it but she is too exhausted and sick to want to see anyone she doesn’t know. She isn’t lonely because she is getting to know the women she is detained with. Becky now has the number for Northwest Immigrant Rights Group that she can give to other detainees and get them some help, too. She knows how lucky she is to have a local-ish support system. She is doing her best to maintain her mental health but she is depleted with illness. She has sketched 78 pages of comics while in detention and is considering a book to tell her story and the stories of other detainees.
Burke offered voluntary departure which could have expedited her release but that needed to be approved by a judge. Numerous judges have resigned or been fired under the Trump administration creating further delays in the system that is already plagued by delays. Even official channels like the British consulate were unable to get a clear answer as to what’s going on.
The arrest and detainment have sent chills throughout the comic industry and highlighted the risk for international travelers coming to the United States currently. The CBLDF has launched a series of articles concerning the subject but it’s wise for anyone who plans on coming for vacation or business to make sure every “i” is dotted and every “t” is crossed.
