They were arrested at a tourist site at the US-Canadian border.

The family — a mom, Jackie Merlos, and her four children, 9-year-old triplets and a 7-year-old son — were detained June 28 at the U.S.-Canadian border at Peace Arch Park. Merlos was meeting her sister, a Canadian citizen, in that well-known neutral area where Americans can see their family and friends.

The family — a mom, Jackie Merlos, and her four children, 9-year-old triplets and a 7-year-old son — were detained June 28 at the U.S.-Canadian border at Peace Arch Park. Merlos was meeting her sister, a Canadian citizen, in that well-known neutral area where Americans can see their family and friends.

"Her sister ... stepped over the line and she was saying goodbye" when Merlos was detained by CBP, according to Mimi Lettunich, Merlos' close friend and guardian to Merlos' children.

From a paywalled article

The family has been held at the facility for nearly two weeks without any contact with legal representation or charges being filed, according to their lawyer, Jill Nedved with Gonzales Law Office in Seattle.