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Irish Man's 5-Month ICE Detention Sparks Outrage

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Seamus Culleton, an Irish man living in Boston for nearly two decades, has been detained by ICE for five months in a Texas facility. The Kilkenny native described deplorable conditions in temporary tents housing up to 1,000 detainees each, with filthy toilets, inadequate meals, and minimal outdoor access. He fears for his life amid reports of riots and violence in the facility.

Culleton was apprehended in September while returning from a Home Depot run when unmarked vehicles surrounded his van. Despite having a marriage-based Green Card application nearly complete and holding a valid work permit, ICE agents handcuffed him without explanation. His wife Tiffany Smyth spent a week not knowing his whereabouts, eventually tracking him to El Paso using an ICE detainee locator.

The detention has devastated both Culleton's family in Ireland and his American relatives. His sister Caroline emphasized he had no criminal record and was days away from his final Green Card interview when detained. Culleton has appealed to Irish politicians and Taoiseach Micheál Martin to intervene with President Trump during his upcoming White House visit, describing his ordeal as psychological torture.

Quick Fact: Culleton has been locked in the same room for four-and-a-half months of his five-month detention.