Irishman held by ICE was issued warrant over 2009 drug offense in Ireland | ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
An Irish court has apparently issued an arrest warrant for the Irish man who is currently in conflict with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has been increasing detentions and activities across the US since last year.
Seamus Culleton was detained in the US for five months and faced deportation despite having a valid work permit in a widely publicized case. His lawyer described him as a “model immigrant” with no criminal record.
It was revealed on Thursday that in April 2009 – a month after Culleton entered the US on a tourist visa – a district court in New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland, issued an arrest warrant for his alleged possession of drugs for sale or supply the previous year. Culleton is also accused of obstructing a garda by throwing 25 ecstasy tablets to the ground during a search, according to the Irish Times reported.
The revelations added a new dimension to a case that has become a lightning rod for concerns about ongoing ICE immigration sweeps and detentions across the United States.
In an interview with RTE radio from a detention center in El Paso, Texas, earlier this week, Culleton compared conditions there to a concentration camp and said he feared for his safety. He called on the Irish government to raise his case with Donald Trump so he could return to his wife, a US citizen, and his stucco company in the Boston, Massachusetts area.
Politicians and commentators in Ireland condemned his arrest and accused taoiseach Micheál Martin of not doing enough.
Culleton, originally from County Kilkenny, entered the US through the visa waiver program in March 2009 and exceeded the 90-day limit. After marrying U.S. citizen Tiffany Smyth and applying for legal permanent residence, he obtained a legal exemption that allowed him to work, according to his lawyer, Ogor Winnie Okoye.
Okoye said his client was a “perfect candidate” for the government to exercise discretion on his behalf because he was not a flight risk or “any kind of criminal.” He initially gave his age as 42 and on Wednesday corrected that to 38; this matched Culleton’s date of birth in Irish court records related to the drugs case.
Okoye said at a press conference that he learned about the incident through the media: “This is the first time we are hearing about this,” he said. He also said his client would not have been aware of any search warrants that occurred after he arrived in the United States.
“A warrant is not a conviction, a warrant is not criminal entry, so I’ll leave it at that until we understand the specific facts of the case,” he said.
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, said in a social media post that Culleton had expired his visa and failed to leave the US. “He received full due process and was granted a final order of deportation by an immigration judge on September 10, 2025.” He was offered the option of immediate deportation to Ireland but instead “chose to remain in ICE custody,” he said, referring to his decision to appeal his deportation.
Culleton has said he has been in the United States his entire life and disputes ICE agents’ claim that he signed a form consenting to deportation.
