A British grandmother who was held by US immigration authorities for six weeks despite having a valid visa has issued a stark warning to other travellers: “Don’t go to the US – not with Trump in charge.” Karen Newton, 65, was on a two-month road trip with her husband Bill when they were turned back at the Canadian border due to paperwork issues with their car. While Bill’s visa had expired, Karen’s was still valid – yet she was handcuffed, shackled, and driven 12 hours to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centre in Washington state.
Newton spent six weeks locked up, sleeping on a cell floor, despite having no criminal record and having entered the country legally. “I don’t even have parking tickets,” she said. During her detention, guards told her that ICE agents receive a bonus for each person they detain – a claim consistent with reports of increased ICE funding under President Donald Trump. The agency’s annual budget has risen from $6bn a decade ago to $85bn, and new recruits can get signing-on bonuses of up to $50,000.
Newton is not alone. Since Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025, several international travellers have been detained by ICE, including German tourist Jessica Brösche (held 45 days), British backpacker Rebecca Burke (19 days), Canadian actor Jasmine Mooney (two weeks), and New Zealander Sarah Shaw with her six-year-old son (three weeks). Newton believes these cases are just the tip of the iceberg, as only those willing to speak publicly are known.
“If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone,” Newton warned. She urged British tourists to reconsider travel to the US, saying her ordeal has left her “convinced” that ICE agents are incentivised to arrest and detain anyone they can, even innocent tourists with proper documentation.
