Irish Man With Valid U.S. Work Permit Held in ICE Detention for Five Months

An Irish national with a valid U.S. work permit has spent the past five months in detention under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and now faces possible deportation, despite having no criminal record and being married to a U.S. citizen.

Seamus Culleton, originally from County Kilkenny, has lived in the United States for nearly two decades and runs a plastering business in the Boston area. He was arrested on September 9, 2025, during what his lawyer described as a random immigration sweep while shopping at a hardware store in Massachusetts.

According to his attorney, Ogor Winnie Okoye of BOS Legal Group, Culleton entered the U.S. in 2009 under the visa waiver programme and overstayed the 90-day limit. However, after marrying an American citizen, Tiffany Smyth, and applying for lawful permanent residence, he received a statutory exemption that allowed him to live and work legally while his green card application was being processed.

Okoye said Culleton was carrying a valid Massachusetts driver’s licence and a work authorisation tied to his green card application when he was arrested. His detention, she added, prevented him from attending a crucial final interview in October that could have confirmed his legal status.

Following his arrest, Culleton was held in ICE facilities near Boston and in Buffalo, New York, before being transferred to a detention centre in El Paso, Texas, where he is reportedly sharing a cell with more than 70 men. He described the conditions as overcrowded, cold and unhygienic, with frequent shortages of food.

In November, an immigration judge approved his release on a $4,000 bond, which his wife paid, but ICE authorities continued to hold him. When his legal team appealed to a federal court, ICE claimed Culleton had signed documents agreeing to deportation while in Buffalo. Culleton denied this, insisting the signatures were not his and that he had clearly indicated his intention to contest the deportation.

The judge noted irregularities in the documents but ultimately ruled in favour of ICE. Under U.S. law, the decision cannot be appealed. Culleton’s lawyers are now seeking forensic examination of the disputed signatures and believe video recordings from the Buffalo interview could support his claim.

Culleton said the prolonged detention and uncertainty have taken a heavy toll. “My whole life is here,” he said, adding that he has worked hard to build his business and family in the U.S.

His wife, Tiffany Smyth, described the experience as devastating, saying the past five months had been marked by anxiety, stress and emotional pain. Family members in Ireland said Culleton has lost weight and is suffering health problems, including infections, while in detention.

The case comes amid growing concern over stricter U.S. immigration enforcement. The Irish government recently disclosed that the number of Irish citizens seeking consular assistance over deportation issues in the U.S. rose sharply from 15 in 2024 to 65 in 2025.

Okoye said the U.S. government has discretionary powers to release Culleton and criticised ICE’s handling of the case, describing it as unjust and arbitrary. “He has no criminal record, is married to a U.S. citizen, owns a business and has followed the legal process,” she said. “He has done everything right.”