Travel Mistake lands Woman in Jail.

Aussie woman trapped in Mexico

Melbourne woman Kylie Bretag is trapped in a Mexican immigration detention centre.

IT’S a simple travel mistake any of us could have made, but it’s landed one Australian woman in a Mexican detention centre with no idea when she will be released.

Kylie Bretag, a 30-year-old waitress from Melbourne, was arrested on October 20 at a checkpoint in the town of Tenosique after Mexican officials boarded her bus to check passengers’ passports, according to her friend Natalie Wayt.
Ms Wayt, 27, was due to meet Ms Bretag in Cancun but was forced to return to Houston after finding out her friend had been detained. It’s understood Australian consular officials are working with Mexican authorities to resolve the issue.
The nightmare began when Ms Bretag followed advice posted on TripAdvisor which said it was cheaper to cross the border into Mexico from California and take a domestic flight from Tijuana to Guadalajara, rather than fly directly in, Ms Wayt told news.com.au from the US.

Kylie Bretag was travelling in Mexico to celebrate her 30th birthday. Source: Supplied

However, Ms Wayt said border officials failed to stamp her friend’s passport when she crossed over from California, despite being asked to do so. Without a stamp in her passport, the Federales who later boarded her bus claimed she was in the country illegally.
Ms Bretag, who recently completed a degree in public relations, was taken to an immigration detention facility where she now sleeps in a crammed cell, head-to-toe with other women and children and no access to proper bathroom or shower facilities.