Irish man held by ICE for six months despite valid work permit, pending green card
Mar 1, 2026·Location: El Paso, TX
Country of origin: Ireland

Seamus Culleton, an Irish national who has lived in the U.S. for nearly 20 years and is married to U.S. citizen Tiffany Smith, was arrested by ICE agents at a hardware store in Boston on September 9, 2025, during a random immigration sweep. Culleton entered the country in 2009 on a visa waiver and overstayed, but held a valid work permit tied to a pending green card application as the spouse of a citizen and has no criminal record. He was detained for roughly six months across facilities in Massachusetts, New York, and Texas, including El Paso Camp East Montana, where he and his attorney reported overcrowding, inadequate food, lack of outdoor time, unsanitary conditions, and significant weight loss. A judge approved his release on bond in November 2025, but ICE continued to detain him after claiming he had signed deportation documents, a claim Culleton and his lawyer dispute due to documentation irregularities. His prolonged detention caused him to miss a critical green card interview. In March 2026, a U.S. Court of Appeals judge paused his deportation pending resolution of his petition for review.
Timeline
Sources
- Irish man Seamus Culleton held for months by ICE says he had U.S. work permit, and now fears for his life
- CBS News
- Irish man held in ICE detention says he fears for his life and asks Ireland for help
The Guardian·Feb 10, 2026·archived copy
amp.theguardian.com·Feb 10, 2026·archived copy
- Wife of Irish man detained by ICE says she 'just wants him home'
BBC·Feb 11, 2026·archived copy
- ICE: Deportation of Irish man in custody temporarily halted
BBC·Feb 17, 2026·archived copy
- ‘Absolute hell’: Irishman with valid US work permit held by Ice since September
- pekintimes.com
- ICE Has Been Detaining Irish Man With Valid Work Visa for Months
newrepublic.com·Feb 9, 2026·archived copy
- irishstar.com
- Government engages US authorities over Irish man detained by ICE
irishexaminer.com·Feb 9, 2026·archived copy
- irishstar.com
- Judge pauses deportation of Boston area Irish man held in custody for 6 months
boston.com·Mar 6, 2026·archived copy
- Court pauses deportation of Irishman who lived for decades in Boston
WCVB·Mar 5, 2026·archived copy
- altzar.org
- corkbeo.ie
- ICE Holds Irishman for Five Months Despite Valid Work Permit
The Daily Beast·Feb 9, 2026·archived copy
- kilkennypeople.ie
- irishmirror.ie
- irishstar.com
- Court orders further postponement of Seamus Culleton’s deportation from US
- dublinlive.ie
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