What began as a long-awaited dream holiday for a 65-year-old British grandmother ended in a frightening six-week ordeal inside a US immigration detention centre, despite her holding a valid tourist visa and having no criminal record.
Karen Newton, a retired school administrative assistant from Hertfordshire, had set out in July 2025 with her husband Bill on an ambitious two-month road trip across the United States, hoping to soak in the landscapes she had only seen in pictures.
Having not travelled abroad for eight years, she was simply looking forward to sunshine, wildlife and a break from routine.
“I really just wanted to get away from the house,” she said, as quoted by The Guardian.
Their journey took them through California, Nevada, Wyoming and Montana, where Karen experienced unforgettable moments. She watched the Old Faithful geyser erupt and saw wild animals up close.
“There was a bison right next to the car. Another time, a wolf walked past… It was just amazing,” she said.
Dream holiday turns into detention horror
But the dream collapsed suddenly on September 26, when the couple attempted to cross into Canada. Canadian authorities denied entry because they lacked proper paperwork for their vehicle and sent them back to US border officials in Montana.
While Karen’s tourist visa remained valid, her husband’s visa had expired.
Karen expected minor questioning before being allowed to return home. Instead, both were detained.
“There was no reason to hold me,” she said, as quoted by The Guardian. “Bill’s an adult. Why am I held responsible for him?”
What followed was an experience she described as terrifying and humiliating. The elderly grandmother was handcuffed and shackled at the wrists, waist and ankles, and transported overnight to detention facilities.
“It was scary. You have no way of knowing what’s going to happen. It got darker and darker. And then other agents turned up with all these chains and handcuffs,” she said.
Karen, who has no criminal record, said she struggled emotionally and physically during her confinement. Unable to climb onto upper bunk beds, she spent weeks sleeping on a thin mattress on the floor, suffering pain and distress.
“I am not a dangerous criminal. I didn’t enter the country illegally and I had everything I needed to be there,” she said.
She was eventually told she was being held partly because of her association with her husband, who had violated visa rules. According to Karen, an officer told her she was “guilty by association,” despite her valid documentation.
After three days in custody, the couple agreed to voluntary self-removal, a programme allowing detainees to leave the US at government expense in exchange for accepting restrictions on future travel.
However, despite signing the papers, Karen remained detained for another 39 days before finally being released in November.
‘Prison would actually be better’
The emotional toll of the experience continues to haunt her. A grandmother who enjoyed quiet hobbies like cross-stitching and puzzles suddenly found herself in what she described as prison-like conditions, far from home and family.
“It’s called a detention facility, but it’s really a prison… Prison would actually be better, because if you’re in prison, you get a sentence, they tell you how long you are going to be there,” she said.
Karen also claimed guards told her ICE officers were incentivised to detain people. “Individual ICE agents get money per head that they detain — the guards told me that,” she said.
Her case is among several reports of international tourists being detained in recent months, raising concerns among travellers worldwide.
For Karen, what was meant to be a joyful journey in her retirement instead became a traumatic reminder of vulnerability far from home, a holiday she will never forget, but for all the wrong reasons.
