Rebecca Burke: Father of British backpacker being held in US says her ‘life-changing trip has turned into a nightmare’
The father of a British tourist being held in the US has told Sky News “what was meant to be a life-changing trip has turned into a nightmare”.
Rebecca Burke, 28, from Monmouthshire, was attempting to cross into Canada from the US when she ended up being handcuffed and taken to a detention facility due to an issue with her visa.
Ms Burke, who has been travelling since January, had a tourist visa for her backpacking trip around North America, but her entry into Canada – where she was planning to stay with a host family in exchange for food and accommodation – was rejected.
Canadian officials said she needed a working visa and sent Ms Burke back to the US – where she was then “taken by homeland security in handcuffs to a large detention centre”, her father Paul Burke said.
She has now been held in the Tacoma Northwest facility in Washington state for 14 days.
Rebecca researched for months before jetting off to the US and Canada
“We thought of all the countries in the world, two of the safest for a British tourist to go to would be the USA and Canada,” Mr Burke said during an interview on Sky News Breakfast. “What was meant to be life changing for her has turned into a nightmare.”
Mr Burke and his wife have been able to speak to their daughter daily, as she can make phone calls from a shared iPad.
They have become worried about Ms Burke’s health, as her vegan meals consist solely of cold rice and potatoes.
Paul Burke has fears for his daughter’s health
“We spoke to her last night and she said she had to go and see the medic because she’s got digestive problems,” Ms Burke said.
“We’ve got very kind people [in Washington] who have offered to visit her. They’ve said when they visit, she’s behind a glass screen and they have to talk to her on a telephone.
“I can’t believe a British tourist is being kept in these conditions.”
Ms Burke has been able to trade with other women in the centre
Ms Burke – a graphic artist – has been able to trade with other women in the centre to secure fresh fruit, her dad said.
“She’s trading portraits of the other women and the other women’s kids, in return for an orange or some other food,” he said. “In terms of how the other women are treating her, it really is a band of sisters working together. They’re taking care of each other.
“They’re all trying to help each other and support each other, which is one good thing.”
Rebecca Burke has been told it could take another 10 days for her case to be dealt with
It is unclear when Ms Burke’s case will be dealt with by US immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, who are “overloaded with cases” due to the US government’s blitz on immigration, her father said.
“The detention centres are being filled because of the crackdown,” Mr Burke continued. “Becky told us that her detention centre will be at capacity next week.”
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“She was told by the ICE officer, it could still be another 10 days [until her case is dealt with],” he continued. “Why can’t it be tomorrow? We just want her home.”
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting a British national detained in the USA and are in contact with the local authorities.”
A spokesperson for ICE said: “Rebecca Burke, 28, a citizen of the United Kingdom is detained by ICE at the Northwest ICE Processing Center related to the violation of the terms and conditions of her admission.
“All aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and if found removable by final order, removal from the United States regardless of nationality.”
Elon Musk has criticised US President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill, calling it “outrageous” and a “disgusting abomination”.
The bill, which includes multi-trillion-dollar tax breaks, was passed by the House Republicans in May, and has been described by the president as a “big, beautiful bill”.
The tech billionaire hit out at the tax cuts on his platform X, writing: “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore.
“This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination.
“Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”
Elon Musk left his ‘special government employee’ role last week. Pic: AP.
In American politics, “pork” is a political metaphor used when government spending is allocated to local projects, usually to benefit politicians’ constituencies.
Musk left the administration abruptly last week after working to cut costs with his team, the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency – known as DOGE – with the ambition of sacking federal workers and cutting red tape.
The White House brushed Musk’s comments aside, claiming they did not surprise the president.
In a press conference on Tuesday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “the president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill”.
She added: “This is one, big, beautiful bill.
“And he’s sticking to it.”
The White House on Tuesday asked Congress to cut back $9.4bn in already approved spending, taking money away from DOGE.
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What did Musk achieve at DOGE?
The billionaire tweeted: “It will massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion (!!!!) and burden American citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt.”
He also suggested voting out politicians who advanced the president’s tax bill.
“In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people,” Musk wrote in another X post.
👉 Follow Trump100 on your podcast app 👈
How Musk’s mission to cut government spending fell flat
Last Thursday, Musk revealed on X that his scheduled time as a “special government employee” was coming to an end.
Before the news broke, Musk’s father told Sky News his son was “not a very good politician”.
But speaking to Gillian Joseph on The World, Errol Musk insisted there was “no rift between Elon and Donald Trump”.
Musk’s time at DOGE was controversial, with drastic cuts to America’s humanitarian efforts sparking particular criticism.
Questions have also been raised about whether the department has actually saved taxpayers as much money as suggested.
Musk initially had ambitions to slash government spending by $2trn (£1.5trn) – but this was dramatically reduced to $1trn (£750bn) and then to just $150bn (£111bn).
Elon Musk brought his son X Æ A-12 to the Oval Office during a press conference earlier this year. Pic: Reuters.
The 53-year-old, who famously brought his son X Æ A-12 to the Oval Office, also expressed frustration about resistance to his ideas and clashed with other senior members of the Trump administration.
He recently told The Washington Post: “The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realised. I thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in DC to say the least.”
By law, status as a “special government employee” means he could only serve for a maximum of 130 days, which would have ended around 30 May.
Elon Musk has criticised US President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill, calling it “outrageous” and a “disgusting abomination”.
The bill, which includes multi-trillion-dollar tax breaks, was passed by the House Republicans in May, and has been described by the president as a “big, beautiful bill”.
The tech billionaire hit out at the tax cuts on his platform X, writing: “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore.
“This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination.
“Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”
Elon Musk left his ‘special government employee’ role last week. Pic: AP.
In American politics, “pork” is a political metaphor used when government spending is allocated to local projects, usually to benefit politicians’ constituencies.
Musk left the administration abruptly last week after working to cut costs with his team, the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency – known as DOGE – with the ambition of sacking federal workers and cutting red tape.
The White House brushed Musk’s comments aside, claiming they did not surprise the president.
In a press conference on Tuesday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “the president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill”.
She added: “This is one, big, beautiful bill.
“And he’s sticking to it.”
The White House on Tuesday asked Congress to cut back $9.4bn in already approved spending, taking money away from DOGE.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
What did Musk achieve at DOGE?
The billionaire tweeted: “It will massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion (!!!!) and burden American citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt.”
He also suggested voting out politicians who advanced the president’s tax bill.
“In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people,” Musk wrote in another X post.
👉 Follow Trump100 on your podcast app 👈
How Musk’s mission to cut government spending fell flat
Last Thursday, Musk revealed on X that his scheduled time as a “special government employee” was coming to an end.
Before the news broke, Musk’s father told Sky News his son was “not a very good politician”.
But speaking to Gillian Joseph on The World, Errol Musk insisted there was “no rift between Elon and Donald Trump”.
Musk’s time at DOGE was controversial, with drastic cuts to America’s humanitarian efforts sparking particular criticism.
Questions have also been raised about whether the department has actually saved taxpayers as much money as suggested.
Musk initially had ambitions to slash government spending by $2trn (£1.5trn) – but this was dramatically reduced to $1trn (£750bn) and then to just $150bn (£111bn).
Elon Musk brought his son X Æ A-12 to the Oval Office during a press conference earlier this year. Pic: Reuters.
The 53-year-old, who famously brought his son X Æ A-12 to the Oval Office, also expressed frustration about resistance to his ideas and clashed with other senior members of the Trump administration.
He recently told The Washington Post: “The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realised. I thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in DC to say the least.”
By law, status as a “special government employee” means he could only serve for a maximum of 130 days, which would have ended around 30 May.
A manhunt is under way for an ex-soldier suspected of kidnapping and murdering his three daughters in Washington state.
Officers said Travis Decker, 32, has “extensive” military training and could pose a “significant risk” but they aren’t sure if he’s armed.
Police, the FBI and US marshals are all involved, with drones and aircraft deployed to scour remote forested areas.
The alarm was raised on Friday when the girl’s mother reported her daughters – aged nine, eight and five – missing after Decker didn’t return following a planned visit of three hours.
Wenatchee police began the search over the weekend, looking for the white pick-up Decker is believed to live out of.
The truck was found on Monday near a campground west of Leavenworth, about 70 miles east of Seattle, with the girls’ bodies found in “relatively close proximity”, according to police.
Evelyn, Paityn and Olivia Decker attended Lincoln Elementary in Wenatchee school district.
Decker is said to have ‘extensive’ military training. Pic: Wenatchee Police Department
Their mother told police the girls didn’t return as planned at 8pm on Friday and that Travis Decker’s phone went straight to voicemail.
A detective for the Wenatchee force said she “expressed concern because Decker reportedly has never done this before and… is currently experiencing some mental health issues”.
Officials said Decker joined the US Army in 2013 and moved to the Washington National Guard in 2021, becoming part time in the last few years, but stopped attending drills about a year ago.
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The public have been warned to not approach Decker and to call 911 immediately.
Questions are being asked about whether time was wasted in escalating the search after police requested an amber alert from state patrol on Friday night but it didn’t meet the criteria.
It wasn’t until Wenatchee detectives provided extra information on Saturday that an endangered missing person alert was issued.
Washington State Patrol public affairs director Chris Loftis said a parent not returning their child on time was a “rather common occurrence and not something where you just automatically assume abduction”.
“We’re people too, you know, so the loss of a child, the loss of two children, the loss of three children is… devastating,” he said.
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