Irishman Seamus Culleton gets major deportation update following ICE arrest
Seamus Culleton, an Irish national detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in September, has been granted a temporary pause to his deportation but remains held in a detention facility in El Paso, Texas., his attorneys said.Culleton, who has lived in the United States for nearly two decades and was in the final stages of obtaining a green card, faces unresolved legal issues in Ireland and is challenging the government's efforts to remove him.Authorities are pursuing the deportation of Culleton, a 38-year-old man from Kilkenny, saying he has been residing in the U.S. unlawfully for almost twenty years. The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for seeking his removal from the country.While a US appeals court has temporarily paused Seamus Culleton's deportation, it has refused his request to be released from the detention facility, according to BOS Legal Group. The court also denied the US government's request for a swift conclusion to the case, indicating it will seek a review of the removal order.Attorney Ogor Winnie Okoye has said the latest ruling "preserves the court's ability to conduct meaningful judicial review." She said, "A stay ensures that removal does not occur before serious statutory and constitutional questions are fully examined.""This case presents significant legal questions regarding compliance with governing immigration statutes and regulations, including procedural safeguards required before issuance of a removal order," the firm added in its statement.Culleton was in the final stage of the process of obtaining his green card when he was taken by ICE agents. He entered the U.S. in March of 2009 as a tourist under the country's visa waiver program but remained there after the permitted 90 days. However, he married a U.S. citizen in April 2025 and was also in possession of a valid work permit.His wife, Tiffany Smith, said, "I just want him home. I want him safe. Seamus is a good man. He doesn't deserve what is going on." She continued, "We tried to do everything the right way that you're supposed to do, so I'm just begging, just let us at least finish that."In January of last year, a Texas court dismissed Culleton's challenge to his detention. The court determined that individuals who entered the US via visa-waiver programs and then overstayed their allotted time could not legally contest their deportation unless they had filed an asylum application.Following the emergence of Culleton's case last month, it was revealed that he had been charged with multiple offenses in Glenmore, Ireland, on May 17, 2008, when he was 22. The charges included unlawful possession of drugs, possession for sale and supply, and obstruction.Culleton failed to appear at New Ross District Court to face these charges, leading a judge to issue a bench warrant for his arrest in April 2009. This warrant was issued just one month after he arrived in the United States.Want to see more of the stories you love from the Irish Mirror? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Irish Mirror as a preferred source, simply click here.
