Wrong Turn Onto U.S.-Canada Bridge Leaves Detroit Woman Facing Deportation

A Guatemalan woman living in Detroit is facing deportation after a wrong turn directed by a phone app led her and her two U.S.-born daughters toward the Ambassador Bridge, connecting Michigan to Ontario. Speaking with The Associated Press, Ruby Robinson of the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center said the woman and her children were detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for nearly a week after mistakenly heading toward Canada while searching for a nearby Costco store.

According to Robinson, the family never crossed into Canada but was stopped at the toll plaza and taken for secondary processing. Despite her long residence in the United States without legal status, the woman was told she would be deported and was encouraged to take her children with her back to Guatemala. During their detention, the family was held in a small, windowless room, fed microwave meals, and allowed out only for bathroom and shower use. Health concerns grew when one of the children developed a fever, but the woman was told no medication was available.

The case has drawn attention from U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib and the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, who criticized CBP’s practices at northern border crossings. Tlaib, who represents Michigan’s 12th district, said she was informed that over 200 people had been detained at the Ambassador Bridge crossing since January, many due to mistaken entries. “Our neighbours and families should not be disappearing because they made a wrong turn,” Tlaib said during a press conference, raising concerns over transparency and the erosion of due process.

CBP officials defended their actions, stating that individuals who violate immigration laws are subject to detention and removal. In a statement, CBP Assistant Commissioner Hilton Beckham said the woman admitted to illegally entering the U.S. in 2018 and that agents worked to find a guardian for her children once she agreed to their separation. Nevertheless, advocates argue that short-term holding facilities are being improperly used for long-term detentions, and that vulnerable individuals, including U.S. citizen children, are being caught up in harsh enforcement actions.

The woman’s case highlights growing tensions at the U.S.-Canada border, where immigration detentions have risen even though overall encounters remain lower than at the southern border. Tlaib, who serves on the U.S. House Oversight Committee, warned that incidents like this reflect a broader threat to civil liberties. “The erosion of due process is a threat to all of us — no matter your name, no matter your immigration status,” she said.