Lead
Seamus Culleton, an Irish national living and working in the Boston area, has been held in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody since 9 September 2025, his wife and lawyer say. Tiffany Smyth, a US citizen, held a press conference calling for his immediate release, saying he has endured “dire conditions” while detained in Texas. Culleton’s detention has continued despite a valid work permit tied to his pending application for lawful permanent residence. Irish officials say the consulate in Austin is providing assistance while the US Department of Homeland Security has been engaged at senior levels.
Key Takeaways
- Arrest date: Seamus Culleton was apprehended by ICE on 9 September 2025 outside a Home Depot in Saugus, Massachusetts.
- Time in custody: Culleton has been detained for approximately five months as of 11 February 2026, with multiple transfers including facilities in Texas and El Paso.
- Immigration status: Culleton entered the US in 2009 on a visa waiver, overstayed, later married a US citizen and obtained a statutory exemption and a valid work permit while applying for adjustment of status.
- Family plea: His wife, Tiffany Smyth, and his lawyer, Ogor Winnie Okoye, are publicly requesting his immediate release so he can complete the residency process.
- Consular involvement: Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says consular assistance is being provided through the Irish consulate in Austin and the embassy in Washington is communicating with DHS.
- Allegations about conditions: Culleton has described conditions in detention as akin to “torture” and said he feared for his life; these claims come via his account to media and his attorney.
- Arrest circumstances: Okoye alleges ICE tracked Culleton by license plate before detaining him while he was returning purchases to a Home Depot parking lot.
Background
Since the early 2000s, ICE enforcement in the US has targeted non-citizen workers at known pickup points such as hardware store parking lots, where day laborers gather. Home Depot parking lots have been noted in reporting and advocacy circles as common sites for informal hiring and, consequently, for enforcement encounters. The dynamic has become a flashpoint in debates over interior enforcement tactics and community safety.
Culleton’s immigration history follows a pattern familiar to many long-term residents who entered legally or under short-term programs and later overstayed. He arrived in 2009 on a visa waiver program that typically permits a 90-day stay; after marrying a US citizen and applying for lawful permanent residence, he was granted a statutory exemption that allowed him to work while his application proceeded. Such exemptions do not automatically shield individuals from enforcement actions in all circumstances.
Main Event
On 9 September 2025, ICE agents detained Culleton outside a Home Depot in Saugus, Massachusetts, according to his lawyer, Ogor Winnie Okoye. Okoye said agents identified him as a non-citizen by running his license plate and moved to arrest him while he was returning purchased items. The arrest drew immediate attention from his family and local advocates because Culleton held a valid work permit tied to a pending adjustment-of-status application.
Following his arrest, Culleton was transferred multiple times between ICE facilities, including locations in Texas and El Paso, according to Okoye. His wife described the transfers and the conditions at the facilities as deeply distressing; Culleton told Ireland’s RTÉ radio that the environment felt volatile and that he feared for his life. These first-person descriptions have been relayed by his legal team to the press and to consular officials.
Okoye has argued that Culleton is neither a flight risk nor a criminal and therefore a strong candidate for ICE discretion or release on bond while his residency application proceeds. Legal advocates often raise similar points when clients have deep community ties, employment, and pending immigration relief that can be completed outside custody.
Analysis & Implications
The case highlights tensions between interior immigration enforcement and ongoing administrative relief processes. When someone with a statutory exemption or pending application is detained, it raises legal and policy questions about discretion, case prioritization and the practical costs of removing individuals with substantive ties to US communities. For advocates, the arrest of a work-permitted applicant underscores concerns about blanket enforcement sweeps that do not sufficiently account for individual circumstances.
Politically, cases like Culleton’s can fuel local and international diplomatic friction. Ireland’s government involvement—providing consular assistance and engaging US authorities at senior levels—illustrates how individual immigration cases may become bilateral issues when a foreign national’s rights and welfare are at stake. For local politicians and community organizations in Massachusetts, such incidents can prompt calls for clearer guidance from federal agencies about how and when to exercise prosecutorial discretion.
Economically and socially, detaining a small-business owner has ripple effects: Culleton runs a plastering business in the Boston area, and his prolonged absence affects employees, clients and local supply chains. From an enforcement perspective, ICE’s actions may deter undocumented workers from reporting crimes or cooperating with authorities, which public-safety advocates argue can undermine community policing efforts.
Comparison & Data
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Arrest date | 9 September 2025 |
| Time in custody (approx.) | 5 months (to 11 Feb 2026) |
| US entry | 2009 (visa waiver) |
| Work authorization | Statutory exemption; valid work permit |
Compared with typical ICE detention timelines, five months in custody while an adjustment-of-status case is pending is within the range of routine detention lengths but remains contentious when the individual has a valid work permit and family ties. Nationally, average case processing times for certain adjustment applications can vary widely, and detention often makes timely completion harder for applicants and counsel.
Reactions & Quotes
I just want him home where he belongs. Seamus is a good man. He doesn’t deserve what is going on, and it’s absolutely heartbreaking.
Tiffany Smyth, wife (press conference)
This statement framed the family’s public appeal and emphasized the personal and community impact of prolonged detention.
Culleton is still in ICE detention under extremely dire conditions. He is in danger of being removed from the United States any day.
Ogor Winnie Okoye, attorney
Okoye provided detail on transfers between facilities and argued that her client meets common criteria for release, including lack of criminal history and community ties.
We are providing consular assistance through the consulate in Austin and engaging with US authorities at senior levels.
Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (official statement)
The Irish government confirmed routine consular engagement, indicating diplomatic channels are active while the case proceeds.
Unconfirmed
- Whether ICE identified Culleton solely via license-plate data at the Home Depot parking lot has not been independently verified by agency records.
- The description of detention conditions as “torture” comes from Culleton’s account to media; there is no independent medical or inspection report in the public record verifying that characterization.
- Any imminent removal date has not been officially confirmed by ICE; the attorney’s statement that he is in danger of removal refers to procedural risk rather than a publicly posted removal order.
Bottom Line
The detention of Seamus Culleton spotlights enduring tensions in US immigration enforcement: individuals with long-term community ties and pending relief can nonetheless be detained, prompting legal, diplomatic and human-rights questions. His case has mobilized family appeals, legal advocacy and consular attention, underscoring how a single detention can generate wider political and social repercussions.
Key next steps to watch are whether ICE exercises discretion to release Culleton pending resolution of his adjustment application, whether Irish consular efforts affect case handling, and whether local advocates secure bond or alternative relief. The outcome will carry implications for similar cases where enforcement intersects with pending lawful-residence claims.
Sources
- The Guardian — media report on the detention and family statements
- RTÉ — Irish public broadcaster; interview reported with the detainee
- Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade — official consular services and statement
- US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — US federal enforcement agency