DETROIT (WXYZ) — Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib said that more than 200 people were detained at the Ambassador Bridge from January until late-March when she visited the facility.
Tlaib spoke on Thursday as part of a press conference with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center and the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, saying the information came after she did a visit to the Customs and Border Protection facility.
Of the 213 people who were detained since January, Tlaib said more than 90% of them had mistakenly driven to the plaza.
The press conference came after a report in the New York Times this week about a Venezuelan immigrant accidentally turning onto the Ambassador Bridge and was later taken into custody. He was put in detention and then deported, according to the New York Times.
There was also a report in March from the Detroit Free Press about an immigrant mother who took the wrong exit on I-75 and was detained with her two daughters by CBP agents for several days.
Hear more from Rep. Rashida Tlaib in the video below:
That woman, named Sarahi, accidentally took a wrong turn while heading to Costco and was held in detention for four days with her two children, who are American citizens. After her kids became sick, lawyers for the MIRC say she arranged for someone to come pick them up. Sarahi was later released on Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention.
"People are still making this innocent mistake that now has the possibility to destroy their lives," Tlaib said.
A CBP spokesperson told 7 News Detroit that they are aware of instances of people making unintended entries into Canada. When that happens, they get to the Canadian border and are turned around and have to re-enter the United States.
"All individuals seeking to enter the United States at a port of entry are subject to inspection by CBP officers for compliance with immigration, customs, and agriculture regulations as a matter of routine procedure," the CBP spokesperson said.
Tlaib also said during the press conference that Customs and Border Protection told her 40 of those who were detained were known Venezuelan gang members, and that dozens of families have been detained.
Those who have been detained are held in an area that she said CBP told her is "not designed to hold people long term." However, Tlaib said that in one case, a man was held for 12 days.
CBP told 7 News Detroit that they are no longer catching and releasing illegal immigrants and are instead taking steps to ensure they are placed in detention and turned over to ICE for processing and deportation.
Drivers along both directions of I-75 in southwest Detroit will see exits to the Ambassador Bridge and into Canada. Going southbound, the exit is combined with another for Vernor Highway that keeps you in southwest Detroit. Going left at the exit will keep you on Vernor Highway and in America, with the American Flag above it, while going right will take you to Canada.
See photos from Google Maps below:
Going northbound, there is one exit to Canada with signs that say "no re-entry."
