Deportation of Irish Man in ICE Custody Temporarily Halted
The deportation of Seamus Culleton, an Irish national detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in El Paso, Texas, has been temporarily paused. Culleton, originally from Glenmore, County Kilkenny, was taken into ICE custody in September 2025 during his green card application process.
Legal representatives from the BOS Legal Group based in Boston, Massachusetts, confirmed that a court has issued a temporary order delaying his deportation for 10 business days.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) previously informed NI that "a pending green card application and work authorisation does not give someone legal status" to remain in the United States.
Culleton first entered the US in 2009 under the visa waiver program, which permits individuals to stay in the country for up to 90 days without a visa.
He is married to a US citizen and operates a plastering business in the Boston area, where he has lived for nearly 18 years.
"Culleton has resided in the United States for nearly two decades and is married to a US citizen,"a BOS Legal Group spokesperson stated.
"He has no criminal entries since living in the United States."
The spokesperson further noted that Culleton "presents no public safety concerns, and has strong familial and community ties in the United States."
"Our legal team remains focused on securing his release from ICE custody and obtaining the immigration relief necessary for him to be reunited with his wife and to remain in the United States with his family,"the legal group added.
Who is Seamus Culleton?
Although previously undocumented, Culleton's lawyer stated last week that he was in the final stages of obtaining his green card and held a valid work permit at the time of his arrest on 9 September 2025. Since then, he has been held at multiple ICE detention centres, most recently in El Paso, Texas.
The El Paso detention facility is located nearly 4,000 kilometres from his home in Boston.
Speaking to RTÉ's Liveline from the detention centre, Culleton described being confined in a room with 71 other detainees under what he characterised as squalid conditions, with inadequate food and minimal opportunities for fresh air, sunlight, or exercise.
"You don't know what's going to happen on a day-to-day basis.
"You don't know if there's going to be riots, you don't know what's going to happen. It's a nightmare down here."
What Have ICE Said?
In a statement to NI last week, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said:
"On September 9, 2025, ICE arrested Seamus Culleton, an illegal alien from Ireland."
She added:
"He entered the United States in 2009 under the visa waiver program, which allows you to stay in the US for 90 days without a visa. He failed to depart the US. He received full due process and was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge on September 10, 2025."
McLaughlin stated that Culleton was offered removal to Ireland but chose to remain in ICE custody, reportedly taking affirmative steps to stay detained.
"A pending green card application and work authorisation does not give someone legal status to be in our country. Being in detention is a choice,"she said.
She also noted:
"The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the US the right legal way to live the American dream.
If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return."
