A Canadian woman and her seven-year-old daughter with autism remain in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after nearly a week, now transferred to a controversial detention center and offered the option to self-deport, according to the husband. The pair, originally from British Columbia, face significant distress from the ordeal.
Background and Initial Stop
Tania Warner and her daughter Ayla Luca relocated to the US five years ago after Tania married Edward Warner, a US citizen. The family resides in Kingsville, Texas. On March 14, authorities stopped them at a border patrol checkpoint in Sarita while driving home from a baby shower in Raymondville.
Husband Describes Trauma
Edward Warner reports limited contact with his wife through brief phone calls, often lasting just minutes. “She says she’s traumatized … They’re not good,” he states. Tania whispers during conversations to avoid being overheard by officials. Warner quotes her describing border patrol agents harshly and notes that Ayla developed a rash in detention.
Officials offered Tania release if she agrees to self-deport to Canada, an option the family rejects. “We don’t want that at all. They are my family,” Warner emphasizes. He insists the detention lacks justification, as Tania’s paperwork allowing her to live and work in the US remains valid until 2030.
Family and Community Support
Tania’s cousin, Amber Sinclair, highlights the valid documents: “She has a social security card. She has a functional visa. That’s good until 2030, so I don’t understand why they’re stopping her and detaining her.” The family seeks funds for legal assistance.
Democratic Congressman Vicente Gonzalez, representing Texas’s 34th district, confirms his office works for their release. “Tania has a work permit and is part of the fabric of our Kingsville community; she nor her daughter Ayla, a 7-year-old with autism, should be in detention,” he states. “We must bring them home and reunite yet another family being ripped apart by this Administration’s rogue immigration enforcement operations.”
Detention Center Transfers and Conditions
Initially held at the Rio Grande Valley Central Processing Center in McAllen, Texas, where they slept on the floor, Warner and Ayla moved early Friday to the Dilley immigration processing center in south Texas. Originally opened under Barack Obama, shuttered during Joe Biden’s presidency, and reopened in early 2025 for family detentions, Dilley draws criticism from lawyers, human rights advocates, and detainees over inhumane conditions, including disease outbreaks, lack of clean drinking water, and inadequate medical care. At Dilley, they now have mattresses.
Official Responses
Global Affairs Canada acknowledges multiple cases of detained Canadians in the US. A spokesperson notes: “Consular officials advocate for Canadian citizens abroad and raise concerns about justified and serious complaints of ill-treatment or discrimination with the local authorities but cannot exempt Canadians from local legal processes.” Privacy limits further details.
ICE requested more information to locate the individuals but had not responded at publication time.
Expert Insights
Ottawa-based immigration lawyer Heather Neufeld, experienced with ICE cases, urges Canada to secure their release, likely requiring agreement to return them. She observes prolonged detentions: “There are people who have spent a year, two years, in ICE detention, rather than deporting them quickly.” Detainees often transfer multiple times between centers. “Getting people out has been incredibly difficult right now … in a lot of cases, the only way to get someone potentially out … is in federal courts – so nothing quick,” Neufeld adds.
