A 23-year-old woman from South America, who had been living happily in the US with an open asylum case, says she requested deportation after enduring months of what she describes as humiliating treatment by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Speaking exclusively to the Guardian under the pseudonym Ana María, she recounted being shackled and transferred between at least six detention centres across multiple states.
Ana María had moved to the US and was working, living with her boyfriend, and pursuing asylum. However, fearing anti-immigration crackdowns under President Donald Trump, the couple decided to seek asylum in Canada. In January, they presented themselves to Canadian police at the border, but authorities accused her boyfriend of trying to traffic her, partly due to his tattoos. He was arrested, and Ana María was sent back to the US, where ICE detained her.
During her detention, Ana María says she was handcuffed and shackled during transfers, with chains tightened painfully, leaving marks. She was moved from a northern state to Louisiana, then to Arizona and Texas, often without being told where she was going. Conditions included constant lights, poor food, and guards yelling, she alleged. Despite having no criminal record, she felt treated “worse than criminals.”
After three months, Ana María agreed to deportation to her home country, fearing the detention experience more than the dangers she fled. She now faces uncertainty back in South America, separated from her boyfriend, who remains in Canadian custody.
