THE TAOISEACH HAS said that the government has “consistently” been raising the issue of an Irishman who has been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials with US authorities.

Seamus Culleton, who is originally from Kilkenny but has been living in the US for 20 years, was arrested by ICE last September, despite having a valid work permit and driver’s license and being in the process of attaining a green card.

Yesterday, while appearing on RTÉ’s Liveline, Culleton appealed to the Irish government for help to remove him from an ICE detention camp in El Paso, Texas.

Speaking to reporters today, Micheál Martin said: “I was briefed on this case yesterday, we, and the officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the embassies, are dealing with government security and with ICE in respect of the case and we are concerned about it.”

He added: “We will see what more – with the Minister for Foreign Affairs – what we can do in terms of our communication with the administration.

“I fully empathise with the position he is in, he has been in the United States quite a long time, he’s married there.

“I’m not clear on the full background to it but certainly we would like to see him out of that facility.”

Meanwhile, Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said she was first informed of the case before Christmas. Since then, her Department has been providing assistance to Culleton and his family. 

Speaking about the Culleton case, the Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee says she was made aware of the case before Christmas. She says she is aware of other similar cases of Irish citizens being detained, less than a dozen, she says. pic.twitter.com/ByUWE1irXU

— Christina Finn (@christinafinn8) February 10, 2026

“This is a case that is known to the Department and we’re doing everything we can to support him,” said the minister. 

Other cases of Irish detained by Ice

Asked if there were other cases like Culleton that the department is aware of, the minister said there are a “very small number of cases” of Irish nationals in US ICE detention centres. She confirmed there are less than a dozen cases. 

She urged that any other Irish citizens or their families who are in similar circumstances to reach out to her department for assistance. 

While on Liveline yesterday, Culleton said he would like the Taoiseach to raise his situation with US President Donald Trump on his St Patrick’s Day visit to the US.

“Absolutely I would. If you have Donald Trump’s ear, why not? I’ll take any help I can get now at this point,” he said.

However, when questioned this morning on the way into Cabinet if he will raise the matter specifically with Trump when in the Oval Office, the Taoiseach side-stepped the question, merely stating that the Irish government raises matters such as the undocumented in America on a consistent basis. 

Taoiseach questioned about case of Seamus Culleton, who is being detained after being picked up by US Ice agents. pic.twitter.com/2zoG0UvXfn

— Christina Finn (@christinafinn8) February 10, 2026

Speaking to reporters today, Tánaiste Simon Harris said that there’s a “fair whack of time to go” between now and 17 March.

He said Irish authorities will continue to engage with the US through diplomatic channels between now and St Patrick’s Day, and the Taoiseach and government will judge where the engagement is in March.  

Culleton has described his experience in ICE detainment as “torture”, adding that the facilities are “filthy” and detainees are given “child-sized” portions of food.

Martin said the government has been raising the conditions of ICE facilities with the US government but the topic has become “very difficult” to discuss.

He said the Ice facilities are a “concern”. 

“We’ve made progress in earlier times, but in more recent times it’s become very difficult because of the nature of the migration debate,” he said. 

Martin said the Department of Foreign Affairs and diplomats at the Irish embassy have been dealing with the case, stating that they are also dealing with US Homeland Security.

“We are concerned about it,” said the Taoiseach. 

Speaking on the plinth this morning, members of the Opposition called on the Government to meaningfully engage with the US on behalf of Irish citizens detained by ICE. 

Labour TD Conor Sheehan said ICE is “akin to a militia” and said he was concerned about the “abhorrent conditions” Seamus Culleton and others are being forced to live in.

While Labour’s position is that the Taoiseach should not attend the White House this St Patrick’s Day, Sheehan said, since he is going, he should raise the issues with ICE directly with US President Donald Trump. 

Social Democrats foreign affairs spokesperson, senator Patricia Stephenson, said today she has been liaising directly with Culleton’s family in Ireland and that they do not feel they have been adequately supported by the Government.

“They’ve only come forward publicly as a consequence of feeling that their case wouldn’t move forward otherwise,” she said. 

Stephenson said she has reached out to US legislators seeking support for Seamus and that she is hopeful they will raise his case domestically in the US.

With reporting from Jane Matthews