An Irish man detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Texas for over five months has spoken out about the dire conditions and fears for his safety. Seamus Culleton, originally from Kilkenny, Ireland, has lived in Boston for more than 15 years and runs a construction company. He was taken into custody by ICE while returning from a store, despite informing authorities that he has a US citizen wife, is applying for a green card, holds a valid work permit, and has no criminal record.
Culleton has been held at an ICE facility in El Paso, Texas, since early September. He described living in overcrowded conditions with more than 70 other men, confined to a single large room with constant artificial lighting. The detainees reportedly have limited access to food and medical care, and are seldom allowed outside. Culleton said, “I’ve been locked in the same room now for four and a half months. I’ve had barely any outside time. No fresh air. No sunshine.”
He characterized the facility as “filthy” and likened the situation to a “nightmare,” adding that he fears for his life. According to Culleton, ICE officials initially tried to get him to sign deportation papers, but he refused in order to contest his case based on a pending green card application through his wife, Tiffany Smyth. Smyth described the ordeal as “awful” and spoke about the difficulties involved in navigating the US immigration system, calling it opaque and heavily weighted against families.
Smyth revealed she was left in the dark about her husband’s whereabouts for nearly a week and has struggled to arrange visits, stating, “They say that visits are feasible, but when you try to set one up it’s almost impossible.” The Irish government has acknowledged the case, with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister’s office indicating that consular assistance is being provided. The Irish Embassy in Washington is reportedly engaging directly with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
US DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated that Culleton entered the US in 2009 under the visa waiver program allowing a 90-day stay but did not depart as required. After his arrest in September, Culleton received due process and was issued a final removal order by an immigration judge. She emphasized that a pending green card application does not grant legal status to remain in the US and denied claims of substandard conditions at ICE facilities as “FALSE.”
Data from the Irish government shows a sharp increase—330% last year—in Irish citizens seeking consular help related to US immigration enforcement, with 65 requests recorded. Current figures suggest fewer than a dozen Irish nationals are detained at this time. Culleton’s case highlights wider issues within the US immigration detention system, which currently holds around 70,000 people, the highest number since ICE’s establishment. Notably, 74% of detainees have no criminal conviction.
Human rights advocates point to systemic racial disparities in immigration enforcement that disproportionately affect migrants from Latin America, the Caribbean, and African countries. The isolation and harsh conditions experienced by detainees like Culleton expose the complex and often opaque realities within US immigration detention centers.
Read more at: www.cnn.com-
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