65 Irish citizens requested consular assistance in relation to deportations from the US in 2025, TD Neale Richmond, Minister of State at Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said in the Dáil on Thursday.
Richmond was responding to a query from Labour TD Duncan Smith, who said the "entire world is aghast at the actions of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service, ICE, in the United States."
Smith asked Neale how many Irish citizens are being detained by ICE, and if all their locations are known.
Before sharing numbers, Richmond noted that there are many instances where an Irish citizen "gets into difficulty abroad and does not request consular assistance" and, in such cases, the Department of Foreign Affairs "may not necessarily be aware of their detention or impending deportation."
Richmond said that in 2025, 65 Irish citizens requested assistance in relation to deportation from the US, and that so far in 2026, one Irish citizen has requested consular assistance.
"The number of 65 may seem small, but it is a 330% increase on the previous year," Richmond added.
"This includes both those who have already been deported and those who are still going through the deportation process, which may include being held in detention by ICE."
He reiterated that these figures only relate to cases where the Irish citizen or their family has requested consular assistance, "and does not necessarily reflect all deportations to Ireland or where a citizen is currently being detained by ICE."
Responding, Smith said that ICE's figures for January to September of last year are 99, which means 33 people did not seek consular assistance, a figure Smith said he believes is "low."
"We should be doing more to seek out where those Irish citizens are being held, what their status is, and how they can be assisted," Smith said. "I do not think it is good enough in this circumstance to sit back and wait to give consular assistance."
Smith highlighted the case of Donna Hughes-Brown, the Irish citizen who had been living in the US as a legal permanent resident for nearly 50 years, who was arrested in Chicago in July when returning from a visit to Ireland.
It is understood Hughes-Brown was arrested for two bad checks, totalling $80, that she wrote about ten years ago. The green card holder was charged with a misdemeanor, paid the restitution, and completed one year of probation.
Hughes-Brown was held in Campbell County Detention Center in Kentucky while her husband lobbied for her release in Washington, DC. She was ultimately released in December.
"This is what is happening to Irish citizens, both documented and undocumented," Smith told Richmond in the Dáil. "For us to just wait for an Irish citizen to contact for consular assistance is not good enough."
Richmond said he does not necessarily disagree with Smith, but said there can be "very real challenges," and that some Irish citizens do not want assistance from the Irish government.
Citing "very real human rights concerns," Smith asked if Ireland should formally ask for details of all Irish citizens, documented and undocumented, in detention, and where they are being held, from the US Secretary of Homeland Security.
Richmond said the Irish Government "maintains a very open and frank level of engagement with the US Administration at all levels," adding that, "Where appropriate, we always raise those concerns."
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