A British grandmother who was handcuffed, shackled and held in a US immigration detention centre for six weeks despite having a valid visa has warned other tourists to avoid the United States under Donald Trump's administration. Karen Newton, 65, from the UK, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on 26 September 2025 as she tried to leave the US with her husband Bill, 66.
The couple had been on a two-month road trip through California, Nevada, Wyoming, Montana and Canada. Their holiday ended abruptly when Canadian officials turned them back at the border due to incorrect paperwork for their car. US border officials then detained Karen, whose visa was still valid, while her husband's had expired. She was held for six weeks at the Northwest ICE Processing Center.
Karen, a retired primary school admin assistant with no criminal record, said guards told her that ICE officers receive a bonus for each person they detain. 'Individual ICE agents get money per head that they detain,' she said. The Trump administration has increased ICE's annual budget from $6bn a decade ago to $85bn, making it the highest-funded law enforcement agency in the US, with signing-on bonuses of up to $50,000 for new recruits.
Since Trump's second inauguration in January 2025, ICE has been ordered to increase daily arrests from a few hundred to 1,200-1,500. Reports of international tourists being detained have emerged, including German tourist Jessica Brösche, who was held for 45 days, and British backpacker Rebecca Burke, who spent 19 days in the same facility as Karen. Karen said: 'If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone. Don't go to the US – not with Trump in charge.'
