"When Karen Newton left home in late July 2025, she knew that international travellers were being locked up in immigration detention centres in the US. I was aware, she nods. But I never thought it would have any impact on my holiday. Karen, 65, had a British passport and a tourist visa. She hadn't been abroad for eight years, and was keen for some guaranteed sun. I really just wanted to get away from the house."
"The dream holiday ended abruptly on Friday 26 September, as Karen and Bill were trying to leave the US. When they crossed the border, Canadian officials told them they didn't have the correct paperwork to bring the car with them. They were turned back to Montana on the American side and to US border control officials. Bill's US visa had expired; Karen's had not. I worried then, she says. I was worried for him. I thought, well, at least I am here to support him."
"She didn't know it at the time, but it was the beginning of an ordeal that would see Karen handcuffed, shackled and sleeping on the floor of a locked cell, before being driven for 12 hours through the night to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centre. Karen was incarcerated for a total of six weeks even though she had been travelling with a valid visa."
Karen Newton, 65, travelled to the US with a British passport and valid tourist visa for an eight-week trip across western states and into Canada. A paperwork issue at the Canada–US border arose when Canadian officials said the couple lacked correct documents to bring their car; Bill's US visa had expired. US border agents detained Karen despite her valid visa. She was handcuffed, shackled, forced to sleep on a cell floor, driven overnight twelve hours to an ICE detention centre and held for six weeks. Karen has no criminal record and is a retired school administrative assistant and grandmother.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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