Irish Man Detained by ICE Despite U.S. Spouse and Pending Green Card

Seamus Culleton, an Irish national who has lived in the United States for more than 15 years, has been held in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in El Paso, Texas, since September 9, 2025, despite his marriage to a U.S. citizen and a pending application for permanent residency.

Culleton, originally from County Kilkenny, Ireland, owns a construction business in the Boston area and has no criminal record. He was arrested by ICE agents while driving home from a Home Depot store in Massachusetts. At the time, he carried a valid work permit issued as part of his green card application, which he filed in April 2025 through his wife, Tiffany Smyth. The application requires only a final interview to complete. Culleton told reporters in a phone interview from the facility that he informed agents of his marital status, work authorization, and lack of criminal history, but they detained him anyway.

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Culleton entered the country in 2009 under the visa waiver program, which permits a 90-day stay. He did not depart after that period, the agency stated. An immigration judge issued a final order of removal the day...