Irish Immigrant Detained for Five Months in “Hellish” Conditions as Legal Dispute over Deportation Papers Intensifies
Seamus Culleton, an Irish national who has lived in the United States for over two decades, remains in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention nearly five months after his arrest, sparking a complex legal battle involving disputed documents and federal immigration statutes.
Culleton, a plastering business owner from County Kilkenny, was taken into custody in September 2025 during a traffic stop while returning from work. Despite being married to a U.S. citizen and holding a valid work permit issued during his green card application process, Culleton faces imminent deportation. He is currently being held at a facility in El Paso, Texas, which he has described as a “concentration camp” plagued by disease and filth.
While supporters portray Culleton as a “model immigrant” caught in a bureaucratic nightmare, federal filings reveal a more complicated legal reality. According to court documents, Culleton originally entered the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) in 2009 and overstayed. Under Title 8 of the U.S. Code, entrants under the VWP waive their right to contest deportation if they remain past the authorized period, a technicality that severely limits their ability to seek relief in immigration court, regardless of subsequent marriage or work authorization.
The case has pivoted on a contentious dispute regarding deportation paperwork. ICE agents testified in federal court that Culleton signed documents agreeing to his removal shortly after his arrest in Buffalo, New York. Culleton vehemently denies this, alleging the signatures are forged and demanding handwriting analysis. “My whole life is here. I worked so hard to build my business. My wife is here,” Culleton stated, insisting he would never voluntarily sign away his life in the U.S.
A federal judge recently acknowledged “irregularities” in ICE’s handling of the paperwork but ultimately sided with the agency, citing the strict statutory limitations placed on VWP overstays. Consequently, Culleton has been denied bond, even after a previous judge had initially set it at $4,000.
The situation has drawn urgent pleas for intervention from Irish government officials. Culleton’s wife, Tiffany Smyth, described the ordeal as “psychological torture,” noting that her husband is confined in a tent-like structure with over 70 other men, facing outbreaks of Covid-19 and influenza. “You have one section of the government trying to deport me, and another trying to give me a green card,” Culleton told reporters, highlighting the disjointed nature of the U.S. immigration system.
As diplomatic channels between Dublin and Washington are engaged, Culleton remains in custody with limited legal recourse, illustrating the severe and often inflexible enforcement of U.S. immigration laws against long-term residents with prior status violations.
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irishexaminer.com
