Law applies ‘even to celebrities,’ U.S. officials say after arrest of U.K. singer who failed to cross into Canada

(Source: Jane Eugene / Facebook)

A U.K. singer was arrested at a New York border crossing after being refused entry into Canada, according to an official with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Jane Eugene Sendall Peters was arrested two months ago after trying to cross into Canada in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in an email statement to CTVNews.ca Thursday night.

Peters, who goes by the name Jane Eugene, is a former vocalist with the R&B group Loose Ends.

A founding member alongside guitarist Carl McIntosh and keyboard player Steve Nichol, Peters sang on number-one singles in the U.S. R&B charts, including 1985’s Hangin’ on a String, and Slow Down the following year. Peters parted ways with the group in 1990.

Most recently, she was seen performing at a show in Atlanta, Ga., in mid-April.

“The law applies equally, even to celebrities,” McLaughlin said in the statement, adding that Peters was “denied an immigrant petition for alien work in 1999 and had already overstayed her visa at the time of application.”

According to the DHS, Peters is currently awaiting a hearing with the U.S. Executive Office for Immigration Review.

In response to a CTVNews.ca inquiry, the Canada Border Services Agency wrote that it “does not provide comment or provide details on specific individual cases,” and that for privacy reasons, it cannot confirm “the entry or possibility of entry of any one person to Canada.”

With files from CTVNews.ca’s Dorcas Marfo