{"id":581040,"date":"2026-04-04T05:02:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T05:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/581040\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T05:02:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T05:02:08","slug":"canadian-mother-and-seven-year-old-daughter-released-from-ice-detention-in-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/581040\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadian mother and seven-year-old daughter released from ICE detention in Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Tania Warner and her seven-year-old daughter Ayla Lucas in an undated photo. They were both held at an ICE detention centre in Texas for nearly three weeks without explanation.Supplied\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

A Canadian mother and daughter have been released from a Texas detention centre nearly three weeks after being apprehended by U.S. immigration authorities for an unknown reason while driving home from a baby shower.<\/p>\n

Tania Warner and her seven-year-old daughter Ayla Lucas, who has autism, were transported to a processing facility and then the Dilley Detention Center in San Antonio, after being stopped and taken for fingerprinting at a checkpoint in Sarita, Tex., on March 14. <\/p>\n

Ms. Warner, originally from Naramata, B.C., has a work permit for the U.S. and is in the process of getting her green card. Her husband, Edward Warner, is a U.S. citizen. Mario Mu\u00f1oz, a friend of Ms. Warner\u2019s and host of the baby shower, said since the pair were taken into custody by immigration authorities, the mother and daughter received no explanation for why they were detained. <\/p>\n

He\u2019s not hopeful the U.S. government will ever provide it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey did it because she was there and they could,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Globe and Mail reported in December<\/a> last year that a sweeping immigration crackdown in the United States is increasingly ensnaring Canadians who don\u2019t have criminal records \u2013 including at least six children.<\/p>\n

An estimated 207 Canadians have been held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody at some point since January, 2025, when U.S. President Donald Trump<\/a> took office. The total number of Canadians held in 2024 was 130.<\/p>\n

In response to a request for comment on Ms. Warner\u2019s case by The Globe, Timothy Oberle, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said in a written statement that work authorization does not give someone legal status to be in the country and that \u201cbeing in detention is a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ottawa saying little about Toronto\u2019s call to block ICE from World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n

Amber Sinclair, Ms. Warner\u2019s cousin, visited the mother and daughter last week at the detention centre, a four-hour drive from her home in Houston. She said Ms. Warner was angry and confused, owing to the lack of clear reasoning for their detention. Her daughter, Ayla, had a rash all over her body, which they suspect was from the laundry chemicals used to wash the blue and grey sweats that detainees must wear at the facility, Ms. Sinclair said.<\/p>\n

The building in which they were allowed to visit with their family was similar to the portable classrooms some schools set up, Ms. Sinclair said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just four walls and a ceiling, essentially.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms. Sinclair said Ms. Warner told her the building they were housed in had 12 beds and lights that were dimmed but never fully shut off.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re actually treated like they\u2019re criminals,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s just not an environment that they should be in, nor should a child be in.\u201d<\/p>\n

The family visit lasted almost three hours, during which Ms. Sinclair said she was able to hug her cousin, make sure they were doing okay and provide some snacks in the form of chips and pop.<\/p>\n

According to the DHS, the Dilley facility where Ms. Warner and her daughter were held provides necessary medical and educational resources for children and families, including access to teachers, classrooms, toys, diapers, cribs and a pediatrician.<\/p>\n

Ms. Warner and her daughter were released Thursday around 1:30 p.m., after her husband, Mr. Warner, paid a US$9,500 bond the day prior. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe waited a really long time to get her out after he posted the bond of $9,500, $8,000 for her, and $1,500 for Ayla,\u201d Ms. Sinclair said, referring to the day Mr. Warner had to wait. <\/p>\n

Now at home in Kingsville, Tex., Ms. Warner must wear an ankle monitor while she awaits a decision about whether she can remain in the U.S.<\/p>\n

A GoFundMe set up by Mr. Warner had raised nearly US$15,000 as of Friday afternoon, to help the family cover legal expenses.<\/p>\n

Opinion: Canadian companies should resist pressure to shun ICE<\/a><\/p>\n

Vicente Gonzalez, the Democratic congressman for the district, has been outspoken about the family\u2019s case since Ms. Warner and her daughter were detained. <\/p>\n

In a written statement sent to The Globe on Friday, he said he was relieved the pair were back home and that his office would continue to assist the family in navigating the U.S. immigration system, \u201cwhich is increasingly operating outside the norms of the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cWe need answers as to why Tania was targeted despite having legal authorization to work and reside in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Mu\u00f1oz said he spoke with Mr. Warner upon the family\u2019s return to Kingsville on Thursday. \u201cThey\u2019re obviously stressed out. But they\u2019re dealing. One of the first things they wanted to do, naturally, was take a shower, get clean, wash the jail off, basically.\u201d<\/p>\n

With further court proceedings to come, Mr. Mu\u00f1oz said he\u2019s hoping Mr. Gonzalez can help the family ensure Ms. Warner remains in the U.S.<\/p>\n

With a report from Jesse Winter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Tania Warner and her seven-year-old daughter Ayla Lucas in an undated photo. They…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":550422,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,1008,41,39,42,40],"class_list":{"0":"post-581040","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-pleasemod","11":"tag-top-news","12":"tag-top-stories","13":"tag-topnews","14":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=581040"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581040\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/550422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=581040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=581040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=581040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}