Irish woman detained by US immigration authority could be in prison 'for months'

Sarah Slater

Irish woman Cliona Ward, who was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after returning from a visit to Ireland to see her ill father, could be in prison “months”, according to her sister.

The 54-year-old green-card holder, who has been living legally in California for about 40 years, first ran into legal trouble last month after arriving back in the US from a trip to Ireland to visit her father in Youghal, Co Cork, who is living with dementia.

Ms Ward was detained and questioned by customs at the San Francisco airport over her past criminal record, which stretched between 2003 to 2008 and included some charges pertaining to the possession of drugs.

She and her sister Orla Holladay, who also lives in the US, claimed her convictions were expunged, prompting customs to temporarily release her to obtain the appropriate documentation to prove that her records had been cleared in California.

When the Dublin-born woman went to plead her case at San Francisco airport customs on Monday last week and present proof of her expungement, she was detained once more and told to argue her case in front of an immigration judge.

Ms Ward, a charity worker, is being detained in an ICE facility in Tacoma, Washington.

A GoFundme page has been set up by her sister to cover legal costs.

Ms Holladay in her latest update on the fundraising page outlined that Ms Ward’s lawyer believes Ms Ward could remain in jail for several months.

“Her lawyer met with her today [Monday] and it was both a relief for Cliona to know that she has representation but also very painful and scary when her lawyer told her she may be in there for months while we fight for her release.”

Ms Holladay outlined that her sister told her lawyer that the “water is undrinkable, the food is not fit to eat and her biggest consolation today was that her lawyer was able to bring her a pen.”

She continued: “I'm exhausted and sick and it's hard to eat. Went back to my classroom today but it's so hard to focus. We fight again tomorrow for her freedom and bring awareness to all of the innocent detainees in these detention centers. In solidarity, Orla.”

Ms Ward is a caregiver for her son Malachi who is an “American citizen, and chronically ill.

“I feel like I’m in the twilight zone. She’s not a criminal. She has a criminal past, which she was atoned for,” adding that her sister struggled with addiction.

On Monday Taoiseach Micheál Martin confirmed that consular assistance is being provided to the Wards. He added that the Government would be supporting the family “to get this issue resolved”.

“Our advice is consistent in terms of, where people have green cards for example or citizenship rights or so on, there shouldn't be an issue,” he said, adding that the Government will be pursuing the matter “on a bilateral basis” with the American administration.

California Congress Democrat Representative Jimmy Panetta, in a statement added: “It’s unimaginable that a reportedly expunged, 20-year-old incident could be used as justification for deporting a legal permanent resident who is a productive member of our community.

“But this is the cruel and unreasonable state of this Administration’s deportation policy”.