Tiffany Smyth, a US citizen from Boston, has pleaded for the release of her Irish husband Seamus Culleton, who has been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for five months despite holding a valid work permit. Culleton, originally from County Kilkenny, Ireland, was arrested on 9 September 2025 outside a Home Depot in Saugus, Massachusetts, and has since been transferred to facilities in Texas.
Speaking at a press conference, Smyth described the conditions as 'dire' and said she wants her husband home. 'I just want him home where he belongs,' she said. 'Seamus is a good man. He doesn’t deserve what is going on, and it’s heartbreaking.' Culleton’s lawyer, Ogor Winnie Okoye, said her client is not a flight risk or a criminal and called for his immediate release to complete his application for lawful permanent residence.
Culleton entered the US in 2009 on a visa waiver programme but overstayed the 90-day limit. After marrying a US citizen, he obtained an exemption allowing him to work and runs a plastering business in the Boston area. In an interview with RTÉ radio, Culleton described conditions at his detention centre as akin to 'torture' and said he feared for his life.
Okoye said ICE agents identified Culleton by running his licence plate while he was returning items at Home Depot. She believes the arrest was part of a broader pattern of targeting immigrants at the hardware chain. The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it is providing consular assistance via the Irish consulate in Austin, Texas, and engaging with US authorities at a senior level.
