I don't think it will be paywalled, but this is a local news website. Bold added by me.
BERN TWP., Pa. - Seven members of an extended family from the United Kingdom, including three small children, said an unexpected detour has resulted in them being held at a federal immigration detention center in Berks County.
The family members reported that** they were visiting British Columbia earlier this month when they made a brief detour onto an unmarked road to avoid hitting an animal** and accidentally crossed the border from Canada into the United States.
The family said it was promptly stopped by authorities, detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents for making an unauthorized border crossing, and ultimately transferred to the Berks County Residential Center in Bern Township on October 5.
Since then, the family members said they have been "treated like criminals" and forced to bide their time in cold and unsanitary conditions as they await deportation to England, according to a sworn affidavit.
"We will be traumatized for the rest of our lives by what the United States government has done to us," said one of the detainees.
The woman added that her 3-month-old baby, who had developed blotchy skin and an apparent eye infection, was left naked and exposed for several hours in the cold facility.
ICE officials have pushed back against the family's claims.
"BFRC provides a safe and humane environment for families as they go through the immigration process," ICE officials said in a statement on Tuesday. "BFRC supports all sanctioned local, state, and federal investigations into the safety and welfare of our residents. Reports of abuse or inhumane conditions at BFRC are unequivocally false."
U.S. officials said the family crossed the border on purpose, according to The Associated Press. They said two of the family members had previously been denied entry to the U.S.
The family's attorney has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's inspector general. The United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it is also providing assistance to the family.
The Berks County-owned center, which has been in operation since 2001 under a contract with the federal government, houses undocumented immigrant families while they go through the process of seeking asylum from their country of origin.
The center has been met with numerous protests and calls for its closures over the years, with Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders being a vocal opponent during his 2016 campaign for president.