Fantagraphics will publish Visiting America: 19 Days in an I.C.E. Facility, a graphic memoir and work of comics journalism by Welsh cartoonist R.E. Burke, documenting her 19-day detention in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.
In February 2025, Burke was attempting to cross the border into Canada from Washington State while on vacation in the Pacific Northwest when she was detained by U.S. immigration authorities. What followed was 19 days of interrogation, uncertainty and incarceration at an ICE facility operated by the for-profit GEO Group.
In the graphic novel, Burke recounts her experiences navigating a confusing and hostile bureaucracy, as well as sharing more about the women she met inside the facility. Among them were mothers, workers and women fleeing war, genocide and abuse, many facing circumstances even more precarious than her own.
The graphic memoir also includes an epilogue providing updates on some of the women Burke encountered during her detention.
“This is a book that has moral imperative written all over it: Becky had to write and draw it and I couldn’t be happier that she chose us to publish it,” said Fantagraphics publisher and book editor Gary Groth.
Burke, who lives in London, has previously created mini comics and zines alongside her other work. Following her detention, she was banned from visiting the United States for 10 years.
Visiting America: 19 Days in an I.C.E. Facility will be published by Fantagraphics in May 2027.