A former Penticton woman and her daughter have been in immigration custody for week, while an online fundraiser for them has collected more than $17,000.

Tania Warner lives in Texas, where she and her seven-year-old daughter were detained at a US Customs and Border on March 14. Eleven days later, they’re still there and waiting for a hearing.

Despite having valid paperwork, the former Penticton residents have been held in immigration detention using space blankets and sometimes sleeping on the floor.

Penticton-Summerland MLA Amelia Boultbee has been in touch with Warner’s family. She said it’s a “distressing” and “disturbing” situation.

“Her daughter is seven years old and has autism, and she’s so distressed she’s breaking out in hives,” Boultbee said.

They were travelling home from a baby shower when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers stopped them, then separated the family at a roadside checkpoint.

Tania’s husband, Edward Warner, launched an online fundraiser to help pay legal fees, which has collected $17,200, adjusted to Canadian currency.

“I think the whole situation is very scary. I don’t think it’s OK for anyone, regardless of what their immigration status is, to be pulled out of the car, fingerprinted, detained… and have limited access to showers or a lawyer,” Boultbee said. “There’s no court date or date to speak to a decision maker. There’s a lack of due process here that’s concerning for anyone.”

Global Affairs Canada is aware of and monitoring multiple cases where Canadians have been detained in immigration facilities in recent months.