Turned away, then jailed, family makes third attempt to enter Canada

Jorge Barrera · CBC News

· Posted: May 08, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Aracely Serrano arrived connected Monday, soon aft 8:30 a.m., successful the parking batch adjacent to the U.S. larboard of introduction successful Niagara Falls, N.Y., wherever she had precocious been detained along with her common-law hubby and 2 daughters successful a windowless holding compartment for 2 weeks.

She pulled a airy bluish suitcase and a achromatic backpack from the trunk of a conveyance that ferried Serrano and her 2 daughters, Madelin, 14, and Itazayana, 4, from a structure successful Buffalo, N.Y,, to the parking lot.  

The trio walked past the chromatic walls of the U.S. larboard of entry, beneath the bulbous eyes of the surveillance cameras and done the metallic turnstiles beneath the motion that read, "Entry to Canada."

"I person anticipation that this time, yes, it volition happen," she said, her daughters by her side. 

Serrano felt this aforesaid anticipation the past clip she took this pedestrian walkway crossed the Rainbow Bridge that spans the Niagara River to Canada. It was March 17, arsenic antecedently reported by CBC News, and she was crossing with her hubby Marcos Guardado and the 2 girls. 

Originally from El Salvador, they had been surviving undocumented successful New Jersey and decided to instrumentality the hazard of vulnerability and marque an asylum assertion successful Canada, to flight the Trump administration's migration crackdown that had injected fearfulness into their mundane lives. 

But Canadian borderline officials connected the different broadside questioned the veracity of documents Serrano presented that she said proved she had an anchor comparative — a member who is simply a Canadian national — 1 of the exceptions that let asylum claims nether the Safe Third Country Agreement betwixt Canada and the U.S. 

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) sent the household backmost to the U.S. wherever they were held for 2 weeks wrong cells designated for detentions lasting nether 72 hours. 

The household managed to respire caller aerial erstwhile during their detention, successful precocious March, erstwhile they were sent crossed the span to the Canadian larboard of introduction lone to beryllium rejected again. They were sent backmost to the U.S. and into a windowless compartment wherever Itzyana would sometimes aftermath up crying from atrocious dreams. 

Brother looks for help

While they were detained, Serrano's brother, Israel Serrano, began making calls, including to the Canada-U.S. Border Rights Clinic, which provides escaped ineligible proposal to migrants. This is however they recovered Heather Neufeld, an experienced Ottawa-based migration lawyer. 

Neufeld filed a situation successful the Federal Court of Canada to overturn the CBSA's rejection of their effort to record an asylum claim. 

Then, past week, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada agreed to let Serrano to participate Canada and marque the claim. 

"I deliberation yet the authorities has recognized that they did the incorrect thing, that they made mistakes," said Neufeld, who accompanied Serrano connected this, her 3rd locomotion crossed the span to Canada. 

"Our lives are astir to change, forever, for my daughters," said Serrano, arsenic she approached the lines connected the span marking the planetary borderline which runs done the stream below. 

"We don't person to unrecorded with this fearfulness anymore."

But determination was inactive a hazard she could beryllium turned away.

After Serrano arrived astatine the Canadian larboard of entry, she faced renewed questioning from the CBSA arsenic her lawsuit was scrutinized again. Neufeld says she began to interest arsenic the process dragged on. 

"There has been a batch of questioning, a batch of investigation," said Neufeld, successful a telephone interrogation with CBC News from wrong the Canadian customs building.

At astir 3 p.m. ET, astir six hours aft Serrano archetypal entered the customs office, she received connection that she could enactment with her daughters successful Canada and marque her asylum claim. 

"I consciousness highly relieved, it was super, ace stressful not knowing what was going to happen," said Neufeld. 

Outside, against the backdrop of Niagara Falls, the towering plume of spray rolling crossed the horizon, her brothers Israel and Miguel Serrano, celebrated. 

"We hugged each other, we jumped into each other's arms," said Israel. 

"After each that happened, acknowledgment to God, they're astir to beryllium with us," said Miguel.

It would instrumentality six much hours for paperwork and delays earlier Serrano, Madelin and Itzayana emerged done the doors of the customs building, nether a chill Niagara Falls, Ont., nighttime and into the arms of her waiting brothers. 

There were hugs and video calls with household members. It was present aft 9 p.m. The coloured lights from marquees and buildings tinted the spray from the falls. 

"When they opened the doors and said 'Welcome to Canada and bully luck with your caller life' — I felt an immense joy, it's indescribable, " Serrano said. 

"My daughters gave maine truthful overmuch strength."

Strength that was besides flowing to her husband, she said. 

While U.S. migration authorities had released Serrano and her daughters connected April 1 — requiring them to cheque successful each week — Guardado was sent to an migration detention centre successful Batavia, N.Y. He faces a deportation proceeding successful June. 

Neufeld says they volition present enactment to bring him into Canada, truthful helium tin participate the asylum process with his family. 

"We're trying to fig retired a anticipation of getting him retired connected bond, which would let him to come," she said.