U.K. singer arrested in U.S. after being denied entry into Canada. She overstayed her visa by 26 years

A British singer was arrested in the United States after being denied entry into Canada. Jane Eugene Sendall Peters, known professionally as Jane Eugene, was in the Niagara Falls, New York area two months ago when she was stopped by American authorities. She had overstayed her visa by at least 26 years, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Peters was denied an immigrant petition for alien workers in the U.S. in 1999, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in an emailed statement to National Post on Wednesday. At that time, McLaughlin said, Peters had already overstayed her visa. “On May 3, 2025, Peters was encountered in Niagara Falls, NY after being refused entry to Canada. U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested her and she is pending a hearing with the Executive Office for Immigration Review,” per McLaughlin’s statement. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) told National Post in a statement on Wednesday that it does not provide comment or details on specific individual cases, nor can it confirm the entry or possibility of entry of any one person to Canada. Peters has been living in Los Angeles, Daily Mail reported . She is now facing possible deportation from the U.S. Peters was in the British R&B band Loose Ends , formed in 1980, per the band’s official website. Several of the band’s songs were hits in the U.K., making the top 40 singles list throughout the 1980s. The band’s single Hangin’ On A String has been streamed on Spotify more than 21 million times.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Loose Ends (@looseendsmusic)

Peters eventually left the band, although they reunited in 1998 for a project, per Daily Mail. Peters has continued to perform. On her official Facebook page, there are videos of her posted on stage in late April. Peters promoted an April 19 show in Atlanta , which she said was sold out, in a Facebook video. She called the creation of music with Loose Ends “spiritual” in an interview on the 217 Today podcast in January. “When you listen to the album,” she said, “people feel amazing things from listening to our music.” She said people told her that her music got them through hard times. “It really means more to them than we ever thought,” she said. “To think that this music has lasted since 1980 — and what are we in now? 2025. No, I never thought it would last that long.” According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), anyone who has accrued one year or more of “unlawful presence” during a single stay will be inadmissible if they seek entry into the U.S. again within 10 years of leaving or being removed. “Unlawful presence is any period of time when you are present in the United States without being admitted or paroled, or when you are present in the United States after your ‘period of stay authorized by the Secretary’ expires,” says USCIS. According to jail records, Peters is being held without bond in Kentucky at the Campbell County Detention Center, which houses county, state and federal inmates. “President (Donald) Trump and Secretary (of Homeland Security Kristi) Noem are committed to restoring integrity to the visa program and ensuring it is not abused to allow aliens a permanent one-way ticket to remain in the U.S.,” per McLaughlin’s statement. “The United States is offering illegal aliens $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.” Peters’ management has not returned National Post’s request for comment.

• Almost $50 million in cocaine found hidden in trucks crossing into Canada from U.S., police say
• U.S. man drives into Canada by mistake, gets busted with 78 pounds of pot on the way back

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.