Canadian mother and seven-year-old daughter with autism detained by ICE in Texas

A Canadian mother and her seven-year-old daughter, who has autism, have been held by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Texas since Saturday, family members said. Relatives described the detentions as unlawful and said they are unclear what problem ICE found with the pair's immigration paperwork.

Both are Canadian; Warner is originally from British Columbia and they are being held at the notorious Rio Grande Valley Central processing centre in McAllen. Tania Warner, who moved to the US five years ago, lives in Kingsville, Texas, with her husband, Edward Warner, a US citizen.

The family was driving home from a baby shower on 14 March when a border patrol checkpoint in Sarita asked them for documents. Edward presented his identification and Warner produced a Texas driving licence, a work visa and what he called her "actual visa"; officers then took her in for fingerprinting and she did not return.

United States, McAllen, Texas

canadian, autism, ice, texas, mcallen, rio grande, tania warner, kingsville, border patrol, work visa