Cedella Roman, a 19-year-old French citizen, was reportedly jogging near the Washington State border when she accidentally crossed into the U.S.
A 19-year-old French citizen was reportedly arrested and held by immigration officials for two weeks after accidentally jogging across the Canadian border and into the U.S.
Cedella Roman's beachside workout became an international incident when she left the beaten path near where Canada becomes Washington State and was detained, CBC reports.
"An officer stopped me," Roman said in French during a recent interview. "He started saying that I passed the border illegally ... I said that I don’t understand why this is happening."
Despite her ignorance, Roman, who is living in Canada while she learns English, was put in ICE detention more than 125 miles south in Tacoma, Wash.
She says she was transported in "the caged vehicles" and her possessions were taken, including jewelry.
Roman did not have her identification with her at the time of the arrest. She was eventually allowed to call her mother, who rushed to the facility to sort out the fiasco.
Though Roman's mother came with identifying documents, including a passport, she still was not released back to Canada.
Instead, the teen was held in ICE custody for two weeks while officials in both the U.S. and Canada attempted to figure out whether she was allowed back north of the border.
Finally, on June 6, she was freed and allowed to return to Canada.
Surprisingly, Roman's tale, at least the accidental border crossing part, is not unique.
Tim Sander of Canmore, Alberta, told InsideEdition.com it happened to him, too.
"I strayed over the border unknowingly and stumbled upon a little community. And that’s when I realized I had done that. I had nothing on me at all, no identification. Just my running gear and a home-drawn map," he said.
Upon realizing what he'd done, Sander said he headed back to the Canadian border, where that country's border patrol was waiting.
"They weren’t too pleased to see me," Sanders recalled. "They hauled me in for about an hour having everything checked out. Didn’t say much to me and eventually they said you can go and off I jogged back to the camp ground."
In a statement to The Washington Post, the U.S. Border Patrol wrote of Roman's case:
“Once the U.S. Border Patrol transfers an individual to ICE custody for expedited removal to Canada, ICE must review the case and receive permission from the Canada Border Services Agency to complete the removal... This can take several days, especially when the individual is a third-country national."
RELATED STORIES
