Taoiseach Micheál Martin expressed concern Tuesday about an Irish national held in ICE detention in Texas as his family alleges U.S. agents forged his signature on deportation paperwork.
Martin linked the case to what he called a U.S. migration crackdown affecting undocumented Irish citizens, and said Irish officials were engaging ICE and local authorities because they want Seamus Culleton released. He also said he may raise the matter during his March 2026 St. Patrick’s Day White House visit with President Donald Trump.
Culleton, an Irish national from County Kilkenny, has spent nearly five months in an El Paso, Texas facility after ICE agents detained him in Massachusetts. He claims ICE agents forged his signature on documents tied to his removal.
The case has drawn attention in Ireland because Culleton has lived in the United States for over 15-20 years, runs a construction business near Boston, Massachusetts, and is married to U.S. citizen Tiffany Smyth. His family says he had no criminal record.
Culleton had started a green card application in April 2025, and the process was nearly complete when ICE detained him, with a valid work permit issued about a month before his arrest. His sister, Caroline, said his green card was “99% processed” with an interview imminent.
ICE agents detained Culleton on September 9, 2025, in Burlington, Massachusetts, while he was driving home from Home Depot after spotting a suspicious vehicle following him. He was transferred to an ICE facility in El Paso.
An immigration judge issued a final removal order on September 10, 2025, and the Department of Homeland Security offered immediate removal to Ireland, which Culleton declined. A court date set for January 9, 2026, was canceled the day before, costing his wife non-refundable travel.
Culleton’s central allegation centers on what happened as ICE processed him for deportation. He says officials pressured him to sign deportation paperwork, and that he refused because he wanted to fight his case based on his pending green card process.
He alleges ICE agents went ahead anyway by using a forged signature on the documents. The forged signature claim has become a focal point in the dispute because signatures on deportation paperwork can affect how removal moves forward and whether a person is treated as having consented to certain steps.
Culleton has described the conditions of his confinement in stark terms. He called the facility “filthy,” a “nightmare,” and a “modern-day concentration camp” made of temporary tents holding about 1,000 detainees each.
He said he was locked in the same room for 4.5 months with minimal outside time. He also reported no fresh air or sunshine in fewer than 10 instances, and said he fears for his life.
Smyth has described severe limits on contact after his arrest. She had only a one-minute phone call post-arrest and cannot visit, according to the account provided.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin disputed both the basis for relief Culleton claims and the allegations about conditions. McLaughlin said Culleton entered in 2009 under the visa waiver program, which provides a 90-day stay, and overstayed.
McLaughlin also said a pending green card application and work permit do not confer legal status. She said Culleton received full due process and chose detention over removal.
McLaughlin rejected claims of substandard conditions as “FALSE,” and said ICE standards exceed most U.S. prisons.
Irish officials have publicly described the case as a consular priority as concerns grow about detentions involving Irish citizens. Martin said officials were engaging with ICE and local authorities, and raised concern about ICE facilities.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said the situation was “really distressing” and said she was aware of fewer than a dozen similar Irish cases. She said officials were providing consular assistance through the Austin consulate and were holding senior-level talks with DHS through the Washington embassy.
Irish data cited by McEntee showed a 330% rise to 65 deportation-related consular assists in 2025.
The competing accounts have put the focus on basic questions about documentation and consent in removal proceedings, with Culleton’s supporters pointing to the forged signature allegation and the U.S. government pointing to an overstay and the limits of pending applications. The case has also sharpened scrutiny on detention conditions, with Culleton’s descriptions clashing directly with DHS’s account.
The procedural path in Culleton’s case has also drawn attention because it moved quickly from the arrest in Burlington into removal proceedings and detention in Texas. The canceled January 9, 2026, court date became a flashpoint for his family, who said the abrupt change carried financial costs and left them uncertain about next steps.
Irish officials have said they are tracking increased detentions in a broader enforcement uptick, while also pressing U.S. authorities on individual cases. Martin’s comments suggested the Irish government sees Culleton’s detention as a matter with both personal stakes and diplomatic sensitivity, especially as he prepares for a March 2026 St. Patrick’s Day White House visit.
For Culleton’s family, the dispute remains rooted in his long residence in the United States, his marriage, and the green card process that began in April 2025. Caroline questioned why ICE detained him at all, saying his green card was “99% processed” with an interview imminent.
Seamus Culleton, ICE Detention, Forged Signature
Taoiseach Micheál Martin is addressing the detention of Seamus Culleton, an Irish man held in Texas. Culleton alleges ICE agents forged his signature on removal documents. Despite living in the U.S. for nearly 20 years and having a pending green card application, he remains detained in what he describes as substandard conditions. DHS disputes these claims, citing his 2009 visa overstay as the grounds for deportation.
