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By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
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An Irish national who has spent five months in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody was wanted on alleged drug-related charges in Ireland around the time he moved to the United States, according to The Irish Times.
The Context
Seamus Culleton, originally from County Kilkenny, Ireland, entered the United States in March 2009 under the visa‑waiver program, which allows visitors to stay for up to 90 days without a visa. He did not depart after the permitted period and remained in the U.S., later marrying an American citizen, Tiffany Smyth, in April 2025 and applying for a green card based on marriage. He holds a valid work permit.
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In September, ICE agents arrested Culleton in Massachusetts on charges of immigration violations. At the time, U.S. officials said he had overstayed his visa and did not have underlying lawful permanent status despite his pending immigration application. A federal immigration judge issued a final order of removal that month.
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What To Know
The Irish Times reported that the District Court in New Ross, County Wexford, issued a bench warrant for Culleton's arrest in April 2009, shortly after he entered the United States.
That warrant stemmed from alleged offences in May 2008 in Glenmore, County Kilkenny, including unlawful possession of drugs, possession of drugs for sale or supply, and alleged obstruction of a police officer during a search.
A separate warrant was issued in 2009 in relation to an alleged criminal damage charge. These warrants remain in place, and Irish authorities say he has not addressed them.
Culleton's legal representative in the U.S. said she was only recently made aware of the Irish warrants, noting that a warrant is not a conviction and does not appear on Culleton's U.S. criminal record.
"I can't speak to a warrant," Attorney Ogor Winnie Okoye said at an online news briefing on Wednesday.
A bench warrant is an order that directs authorities to bring a person before the court. It does not amount to a conviction or a finding of guilt.
Culleton, who operates a plastering business in Wakefield, Massachusetts, held a valid state driver's license at the time he was stopped by ICE officers while driving home from work in early September. He had applied for a green card in April 2025 and was awaiting a final interview in the process, according to The Irish Times.
Culleton has been detained by ICE in facilities in Texas for several months while efforts continue to remove him from the country. He has criticized conditions in the detention center, describing it as "like a concentration camp" and saying he fears for his safety.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security disputed allegations about detention conditions, saying claims of substandard treatment at ICE facilities are false.
"Honestly, because you know, people have been killed by the staff here, by the security staff, you know," Culleton told RTE Radio. "And you just don't know what's going to happen on a day-to-day basis. You don't know if there's going to be riots. You don't know if there's going to be—you don't know what's going to happen. It's just a nightmare."
The death of 55-year-old Cuban national Geraldo Lunas Campos on January 3 while in custody at Camp East Montana was subsequently classified as a homicide by a medical examiner, who identified physical restraint by guards as a contributing factor.
Newsweek has reported multiple allegations from detainees describing unsanitary, overcrowded and restrictive conditions inside Camp East Montana, the facility where Culleton is being held. Three detainees have died in the facility since it opened in 2025.
What People Are Saying
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, told Newsweek: "He entered the United States in 2009 under the visa waiver program, which allows you to stay in the U.S. for 90 days without a visa. He failed to depart the U.S. He received full due process and was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge on September 10, 2025. He was offered the chance to instantly be removed to Ireland but chose to stay in ICE custody, in fact he took affirmative steps to remain in detention."
Seamus Culleton's wife, Tiffany Smyth, told The Irish Times: "To know he was just taken, and he or I had no idea where they were taking him, was traumatizing."
What Happens Next
Culleton is expected to remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
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