Donegal man facing American deportation after 15 years in Boston

An unnamed Donegal man is facing deportation from the USA after being detained by US immigration officials for violating his visa waiver.

It is understood that the man had been living and working in Boston for more than 15 years, has two American-born children, and had built a successful business in the New England area. His lawyer, immigration attorney John Foley, said that his client had not been back to Ireland since he was “a young guy”, reportedly around 16 years ago.

The man, who did not want to be identified, was detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after receiving a driving-related conviction.

He had originally entered the USA on a visa waiver programme, which allows visitors to stay up to 90 days without a visa within the USA for tourist reasons, but he did not return home.

According to Mr Foley, there was no discretion for the Donegal man from ICE. He stated that he had pushed for the release of his client with an ankle bracelet and 24/7 monitoring, however, officials declined that proposal.

He told the Irish Times: “No matter what I said, it didn’t matter. What I am shocked about is how there is not movement at all. There was no discretion at all.

“Never say never but before I went in, I thought there was a 10% chance (of his release). Now it is 1%.

Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, there has been an emphasis on migration and deportation policies, which has caused concern amongst the undocumented Irish in the USA.

Another Irish citizen, Cliona Ward, was taken into ICE custody in April 2025 after visiting her unwell father in Ireland due to a criminal record dating back almost two decades prior. She was released after 17 days in custody.