A 65‑year‑old British tourist’s long‑anticipated US holiday turned into a six‑week detention by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), prompting scrutiny of American immigration enforcement after questions arose about her legal status and treatment.
The woman, Karen Newton, held a valid B‑2 tourist visa but was detained along with her husband when the couple attempted to re‑enter the US after being denied entry into Canada due to vehicle documentation issues in late September last year.
‘Detention was lawful’: DHS
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responded to international concern by maintaining that the detention was an exercise of law enforcement authority, not an arbitrary or unjustified action.
DHS said it acted within legal bounds, citing Newton’s husband’s “lengthy previous visa overstay” and other factors discovered at the border. Her husband’s H‑1B work visa had reportedly expired nearly 20 years earlier, which factored into the detention.
Although Newton’s tourist visa and passport were valid, border officials determined that complicating factors, including her husband’s long‑expired visa status and irregularities surrounding their attempted crossing, triggered immigration enforcement protocols.
As a result, both were taken into custody by ICE, first held at a border patrol station overnight and then transferred to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, where they remained for about six weeks.
‘Slept on a thin mattress’
During her six-week detention, Karen slept on a thin mattress on the floor and endured significant discomfort. She told reporters she had no criminal record and had complied with all visa requirements, questioning why she was held at all. “I didn’t enter the country illegally and I had everything I needed to be there,” she said.
Karen also recounted conversations with various guards who told her that ICE officers receive monetary bonuses for each individual they detain, suggesting such incentives might encourage prolonged detention even in cases involving lawful visitors. “Individual ICE agents get money per head that they detain, the guards told me that,” she said.
Newton described the experience as harrowing, comparing detention conditions to a prison and criticising the lack of clarity around her status. At one point, officials offered the couple the option of voluntary self‑deportation, which would have involved waiving their right to a court hearing and carrying potential re‑entry bans of up to ten years. Ultimately, they were released without prior notice and returned to the UK in November 2025.
Following her return to Hertfordshire, Newton said her belongings were not returned and her financial situation suffered because bills went unpaid during detention.