Detained Comics Artist Returns Home to Britain
Welsh comics artist R.E. Burke returned home to the U.K. on March 17 after being detained last month by U.S. ICE agents during her backpacking trip across North America. After being denied entry into Washington State from Canada due to a visa issue, Burke was sent to a detention center in Tacoma, Wash., where she spent 20 days in harsh conditions.
A GoFundMe was launched last week by the cartoonist’s father to raise funds for Burke’s legal fees, travel costs, and advisory support. As of March 14, the fundraiser has stopped accepting donations, as they now cover Burke’s costs, and any surplus will be donated to charities in the Seattle area helping people in similar situations.
Following her release, Burke plans to create comics about her detention experience, according to a post on Bluesky.
"I am planning lots of comics for afterward and drawing often (including portraits of the other women, which make them very happy—the least I can do when they are in very much worse predicament than me) I keep thinking about when I will be on that plane," Burke wrote. "I will be smiling the entire journey home."
