UK woman detained ICE for 6 weeks despite valid US visa: ‘Agents get bonus’

A British woman who was detained the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a trip to the United States has now warned others against travelling to the country. Karen Newton spent six weeks locked up in detention centres despite holding a valid US visa.An anti-ICE banner being held up a protester in Minnesota, USA (Getty Images via AFP)The backgroundKaren, 65, and her husband, Bill, 67, had planned a trip across the United States that would take them through California, Nevada, Wyoming, and Montana. After this, they planned to spend two months in Canada.On September 26, however, the British couple’s dream trip to the US ended in a nightmare.According to a Guardian article, when they crossed the border from the US to Canada, Canadian officials told them they did not have the correct paperwork to bring their car with them. They were turned back to Montana.Bill’s US visa had expired. Karen still had a valid visa. “I worried then,” she said. “I was worried for him. I thought, well, at least I am here to support him.”The ordealUnfortunately, Karen was also caught up in the nightmare that followed. The 65-year-old woman was detained, handcuffed and shackled US immigration agents. She slept on the floor of a locked cell, before being driven for 12 hours to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma.“It’s called a detention facility, but it’s really a prison,” she said. “Locking doors, guards everywhere, cells, everything clamped to the floor – it’s how I imagine a prison to be. 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.”Unable to climb a ladder to the top bunk, Karen spent the following six weeks sleeping on the floor atop a thin mattress. This gave her pain in her hips and back. She also had constipation as she was afraid of using the toilet where everyone could see her.(Also read: 73-year-old Harjit Kaur deported to India ICE, not allowed to meet family last time)Karen spent six weeks in ICE detention, in spite of the fact that she had a valid US visa and no criminal hory.“I don’t even have parking tickets in the background anywhere,” she said. “I am not a dangerous criminal. I didn’t enter the country illegally and I had everything I needed to be there.”So why did ICE detain her?Karen says that one possible reason for her detention could be personal gain for ICE agents.During the six weeks she spent at the Northwest ICE Processing Center, Karen got to know the guards well. They all told her the same thing — that ICE agents get a bonus every time they detain someone.“Individual ICE agents get money per head that they detain – the guards told me that,” Karen said.“I was told this multiple sources,” she added. “There is all the incentive in the world to find a reason – any reason – not to let someone go.”(Also read: Indian-origin doctor says her mother was harassed masked ICE agents: ‘Because she has an accent…’)