Irish man held by ICE says he had U.S. work permit, fears for his life

4 days ago 11

An Irish antheral who has lived successful the U.S. for astir 20 years has been detained by U.S. migration officials for astir 5 months contempt insisting helium had a valid U.S. enactment licence and a pending greenish paper lawsuit arsenic the spouse of an American citizen. Seamus Culleton has said helium fears for his beingness owed to the conditions successful the detention halfway wherever he's being held successful Texas.

Seamus Culleton, who lived successful Boston, is being held astatine the El Paso Camp East Montana, an ICE detention installation wrong the Fort Bliss Army basal successful Texas, according to the agency's detainee locator system. Speaking to Irish authorities broadcaster RTÉ successful a telephone interrogation Monday from the detention center, Culleton described beingness astatine the campy arsenic a "nightmare."

"You don't cognize what's going to hap connected a day-to-day basis. You don't cognize if there's going to beryllium riots, you don't cognize what's going to happen," helium told RTÉ. He characterized the detention facilities arsenic "a clump of impermanent tents."

Culleton said helium had seldom been extracurricular successful the 5 months since his arrest.

"I person hardly immoderate extracurricular time, nary caller air, nary sunshine. We person 2 TVs connected the wall. There are 72 detainees present successful total. We get 3 meals a day, precise very tiny meals — kid size meals, truthful everybody is hungry," helium said.

Culleton called the conditions "filthy" and said the toilets and showers were "completely nasty" and "very seldom cleaned."

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which ICE falls under, denied the allegations astir the conditions astatine the Texas installation connected Tuesday, with Assistant DHS Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin telling CBS News successful a connection that Culleton's claims were, "FALSE. ICE has higher detention standards than astir U.S. prisons that clasp existent U.S. citizens."

McLaughlin confirmed that ICE agents arrested Culleton connected Sept. 9, 2025, calling him "an amerciable alien from Ireland" who entered the U.S. successful 2009 nether the tourer visa waiver programme but past failed to depart the U.S. aft the permitted 90 days.

"He received afloat owed process and was issued a last bid of removal by an migration justice connected September 10, 2025," McLaughlin said. "He was offered the accidental to instantly beryllium removed to Ireland but chose to enactment successful ICE custody … A pending greenish paper exertion and enactment authorization does not springiness idiosyncratic ineligible presumption to beryllium successful our country."

Under U.S. law, DHS tin apprehension radical with pending migration applications if they don't person underlying imperishable migration status, adjacent if they person not been convicted of crimes, but nether erstwhile administrations, non-criminals with valid pending applications were seldom arrested, and officials would typically let a greenish paper lawsuit to play out.

McLaughlin said Culleton was offered a accidental to beryllium sent to Ireland "instantly." She claimed helium "chose to enactment successful ICE custody, successful information helium took affirmative steps to stay successful detention."

Culleton has said helium was going done the ineligible process to get lawful imperishable residency, oregon a greenish card, and that helium had a valid U.S. enactment licence erstwhile helium was arrested. Spouses of U.S. nationals tin get a enactment licence portion their greenish paper applications are processed.

Culleton, a plasterer, said that helium was stopped by national agents portion driving location successful aboriginal September aft stopping astatine a store. He was followed initially by a bluish Ford, and then, "out of nowhere, it seemed similar determination were 7 oregon 8 cars and a clump of officers astatine the model of the van, telling maine to rotation down the window."

"They asked maine if I had a greenish card. I said I didn't. I said I was joined to a national and that I had a marriage-based petition successful spot and I was conscionable astir to person my greenish paper and that I had a enactment licence to beryllium present and work," Culleton told RTÉ, adding that nary of those details seemed to substance arsenic the officers proceeded to detain him.

Culleton was held aft "local constabulary ran a licence cheque connected his conveyance extracurricular a Home Depot successful Massachusetts," court records from precocious January show.

Estimates from the Irish authorities astir a twelvemonth agone suggested that arsenic galore arsenic 10,000 undocumented Irish immigrants were surviving crossed the U.S. Many apt came connected tourer waivers oregon impermanent enactment visas but past stayed illegally successful the state aft those documents expired, effectively surviving successful the shadows.

A spokesperson for the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told CBS News connected Tuesday that Irish officials were alert of Culleton's lawsuit and were providing consular assistance to him and his family.

"Our Embassy successful Washington D.C. is besides engaging straight with the Department of Homeland Security astatine a elder level successful narration to this case," the spokesperson said.

In December, the American Civil Liberties Union and different quality rights groups released a missive demanding the closure of ERO El Paso Camp East Montana, alleging a signifier of abuses astatine the campy including beatings and intersexual maltreatment by officers against detained immigrants, beatings and coercive threats to compel deportation to 3rd countries, aesculapian neglect, hunger and insufficient food, and denial of meaningful entree to counsel, among different alleged rights violations.

Camilo Montoya-Galvez contributed to this report.

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