An Irishman who has been detained by ICE for five months has described the facilities as “like a modern-day concentration camp”.
Seamus Culleton said he would like Irish premier Micheal Martin to raise his case with US President Donald Trump during his meeting at the White House in March.
Mr Culleton, who is originally from Co Kilkenny, has been living in the US for nearly 20 years and is married to a US citizen.
He was detained by ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents in September 2025 while driving home after finishing work, describing how several cars appeared around him.
He was asked if he had a green card, and he said he did not, but said he was married to a US citizen, had a work permit and was due to receive his green card.
However, he was detained and initially put into a holding cell in Massachusetts, before being taken to New York, and then to the detention centre in El Paso in Texas.
Mr Culleton claims ICE agents tried to get him to sign deportation papers, which he refused to do.
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He described the detention centre in El Paso as “horrible” and “filthy”, with little sanitation, limited food and where it was “tough to stay positive”.
He said he was in fear of his life from the security firm in charge, who he said were “capable of anything”, and there was competition for food, and he had “definitely” lost weight.
The Irishman said there were 72 people in a tent the size of a 16ft by 35ft room with no ceiling, with two rows of bunk beds on either side and a long table down the middle.
Illnesses are rife among detainees, he said, with barely any outside time, fresh air or sunlight.
Mr Culleton added: “It’s just torture. I don’t know how much more I can take.
“I just want to get back to my wife. We’re so desperate to start a family.”
Mr Culleton said his mother is heartbroken about his situation, though he can talk with her most days.
His wife described the shock of his original detention and the “awful” experience of trying to maintain contact with him after his detainment.
She said she did not hear from him for almost a week after an initial phone call following his arrest and said she “did not know if he was deported” and “had no idea if he was safe”.
She added it was “almost impossible” to set up a visit to see her husband.
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She had booked flights from Massachusetts to Texas to attend one of Mr Culleton’s court dates, but the hearing was moved on the day before her journey.
“He’s a good man. I don’t think anyone deserves this, but Seamus definitely doesn’t deserve this,” she said.
Earlier, Mr Culleton’s sister, Caroline, said his family still does not know why he was detained.
She said he has lost an “awful lot of weight”, has sores, infections and hair loss.
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In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said: “Minister McEntee is aware of this case and of the consular assistance being provided to the citizen involved, and his family, by our Consulate General in Austin, Texas, and our consular unit in Dublin.
“Our embassy in Washington DC is also engaging directly with the Department of Homeland Security at a senior level in relation to this case.”
