A Chinese-American woman living in California has found herself in legal trouble after attempting to take her young daughter across the Niagara Falls border into Canada, with plans to return to China. Authorities intervened when it became clear that she lacked legal custody of the child.
According to prosecutors in California, the 12-year-old girl is the biological daughter of 55-year-old Mei Tian. However, following a divorce, the child’s father is the sole legal guardian, indicating that Tian no longer holds custody rights. At the time of her arrest, the Riverside County District Attorney’s office was already looking into allegations of her abducting her daughter. Reports indicate that she had been granted visitation rights in early August but was required to return her daughter to her father by August 11. Instead, she and the child went missing.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York has shared that on the night of September 27, Tian used an Uber to transport her daughter to the Rainbow Bridge Port in Niagara Falls, aiming to enter Canada. During the crossing, she presented a document that she claimed was signed by her daughter’s father, giving permission for the trip. However, Canadian border officials found the signature to be forged and denied them entry.
Upon their return to the U.S., customs officials uncovered Tian’s prior legal issues during a routine check. The indictment details that several police reports had been filed regarding the “disappearance” of Tian and her daughter, and records from California indicated that both had previously been blocked from leaving the United States. Following their disappearance in August, they were specifically prohibited from exiting Orange County without permission.
Preliminary investigations showed that Tian was traveling with multiple pieces of luggage and several travel documents, including U.S. and Chinese passports, an expired and canceled Chinese passport, her daughter’s birth certificate from Orange County, and a handwritten authority document that Canadian officials deemed forged. Reports suggest that Tian intended to enter Canada with her daughter before returning to China.
Now, Tian faces charges of international parental kidnapping and providing false statements to Customs and Border Protection officers. If convicted, she could face up to eight years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Chinese-American attorney Chen Chuang remarked that incidents like this are not unusual in divorce disputes in the U.S. He highlighted the stark differences between child protection laws in the U.S. and those in China, noting the stricter regulations and penalties for violations. Chen urged individuals involved in divorce proceedings to understand these legal boundaries to avoid potential pitfalls.
