DETROIT (WWJ) -- An accidental turn into Canada could mean deportation for a Guatemalan woman who'd been living without legal status in Metro Detroit.
According to the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, the mother of two, who came to the U.S. illegally in 2018, was driving to Costco when her GPS accidentally directed her to a location in Windsor — so she crossed the Ambassador Bridge.
When she tried to come back into the U.S., the woman and her one and 5-year-old children were detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
She's now facing deportation.
Policy manager Christine Souve said that for five days the woman and her kids were detained in a windowless room with just ramen noodles and oatmeal to eat.
"Typically in this situation in the past, she probably would've been processed and ordered to report to ICE, report to her court hearing, and then released," Souve told WWJ Newsadio 950's Luke Sloan.
"She had repeatedly asked to speak to her lawyer, and was unable," Souve said. "The provision was not made for her to speak to her lawyer. So, her husband didn't know where she was, and she wasn't able to take care of herself and her children as she needed to."
Souve said the woman's children are U.S. citizens, and she has no criminal record.
A court hearing is scheduled for next month with the woman facing deportation.
Going forward, Souve just wanted to make sure her client gets due process, and is treated fairly.
"What we're asking for is simple: Greater transparency, better conditions, and no long term detention," Souve said. "Customs and Border Protection facilities, they're not designed for long term detention. Typically individuals are processed and then released, and then custody may be transferred to ICE for longer-term detention."
Thursday afternoon, WWJ was still awaiting a statement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection in response to questions about this case.