B.C. woman detained by ICE for three weeks in Texas calls experience ‘traumatizing’

By Canadian Press on April 8, 2026.

KINGSVILLE, TEXAS, UNITED STATES — The Canadian woman who spent three weeks detained by immigration officers in the United States along with her seven-year-old daughter says it was “the most stressful, traumatizing ordeal” she has ever been through.

Tania Warner won’t elaborate on the details of her detainment starting March 14, but describes the treatment as “mentally torturing,” adding that her daughter Ayla suffered chemical burns from soap and detergent used at the detention facility and is only now recovering after returning home.

The mother and daughter were released from detention last week after initially being taken into custody at a United States border patrol checkpoint in Texas where the family lives.

Warner, who is originally from Penticton, B.C., says in an interview that today was Ayla’s first day back to school, and the girl showed clear anxiety and apprehension about not wanting to leave her mother’s side.

The pair also has a check-in scheduled with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement next week, and Warner says that will take place at a facility about 150 kilometres south of the family’s home in Kingsville, Texas.

Warner says she and her daughter have to cross the same checkpoint where she was detained to get to the check-in, and having to do so is terrifying for the family.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 8, 2026.

The Canadian Press