Image: from Luna X@LunaForTruth
EL PASO, TEXAS — A Kilkenny man who has lived in the United States for nearly two decades has described his five-month ordeal in immigration detention as “absolute hell” and “psychological torture,” as he pleads for the Irish government to intervene.
Seamus Culleton (42), a plastering contractor based in the Boston area, has been held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since September 9, 2025. Despite holding a valid work permit and having no criminal record, he faces imminent deportation from a facility in Texas.
A Random Sweep and a Legal Limbo
The nightmare began last September when Culleton was followed by ICE agents after buying supplies at a hardware store in Massachusetts. Although he presented his state driver’s license and a work authorization permit, granted due to a pending marriage-based green card application, he was taken into custody.
“I told them I was married to a citizen and that I had a marriage-based petition in place,” Culleton told RTÉ from the El Paso detention facility. “None of those details seemed to matter.”
Culleton originally entered the U.S. in 2009 under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and overstayed. However, his legal counsel, Ogor Winnie Okoye, argues that his marriage to American citizen Tiffany Smyth and his subsequent application for permanent residency granted him a statutory exemption to live and work in the U.S. while the process was finalized.
“Like a Concentration Camp”
From his shared cell in El Paso, which he occupies with over 70 other men, Culleton described squalid conditions and a climate of fear.
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Nutrition: Detainees reportedly receive “child-sized” meals, leading to frequent fights over food.
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Hygiene: Facilities are described as “filthy,” with Culleton suffering from sores, infections, and significant weight loss due to a lack of medical care.
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Confinement: Culleton claims to have been allowed outside for fresh air less than a dozen times in five months.
“It’s like a concentration camp, absolute hell,” he told The Irish Times. “I’m not in fear of the other inmates. I’m afraid of the staff. They’re capable of anything.”
Allegations of Falsified Documents
The case has taken a darker turn following allegations that ICE agents falsified signatures. Culleton maintains that he refused to sign deportation orders in Buffalo, New York. However, ICE presented documents to a federal court claiming he had consented to removal.
Culleton adamantly denies this, stating the signatures are forgeries. While a federal judge noted “irregularities” in the documents, she ultimately sided with the agency, leaving Culleton with no further legal path to appeal under current immigration statutes.
A Diplomatic Test
The case has ignited concern in Dublin. Taoiseach Micheál Martin expressed “concern” over the reports and confirmed that the Irish embassy in Washington is engaging with the Department of Homeland Security.
Culleton has publicly implored the Taoiseach to raise his case directly with President Donald Trump during the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day visit to the White House. “Just try to get me out of here and do all you can, please,” he pleaded.
As the U.S. administration ramps up deportations, with Irish removals reportedly jumping 330% in the last year, Culleton’s fate hangs in the balance, a symbol of the increasingly rigid “zero-tolerance” approach to immigration enforcement.