Irish dad treated 'less than human' by ICE after overstaying US visit by 'three days'

Extra.ie​

15-07-2025

An Irish father-of-three has detailed the horrific time he spent in ICE detention facilities after being arrested by United States immigration officials and put behind bars for around 100 days.
The man, named Thomas, was initially arrested by police after a row erupted between him and his girlfriend, but once Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents saw his visa status, he was reportedly sent 100 miles away to an ICE processing centre.
Thomas told The Guardian that he had overstayed his 90-day tourist visa by just three days when he was detained. The Trump administration has ramped up immigration detentions this year. Pic: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
The tech worker left Ireland to visit his girlfriend in West Virginia last autumn and was originally supposed to return to Ireland in October.
However, while in the States, Thomas badly tore his calf which caused severe swelling and an inability to walk. Due to this, his doctor reportedly told him not to travel for eight to twelve weeks due to the risk of blood clots.
According to the report, this took his stay under the US visa waiver programme just over the December 8 authorisation cut-off. 'Alligator Alcatraz' has been a topic of major controversy in the US. Pic: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
Thomas is said to have attempted to contact both the Irish and US embassies with paperwork from his doctor to prove his reason for overstaying but did not hear back from either due to it being short notice.
He was detained by the police after they were called during a hotel stay while he was visiting his girlfriend's family in Georgia. Thomas said he was preparing to return home when he had a mental health episode and the row occurred.
After being brought to the processing centre, Thomas signed a form and agreed to be removed from the US and return to Ireland, his attorney reportedly said.
However, instead of being deported, Thomas remained in the custody of ICE. Pic:He has since described rough conditions in their Folkston, GA, facility, which included only getting one hour of outdoor time a week and enduring a five-day lockdown. This meant he was unable to contact his family.
Thomas spent about two months in this facility before being moved in February to a holding cell with approximately 50 other detainees.
He reportedly called his family to tell them the news, adding that he thought he was 'going home'.
He claimed, however, that this turned out not to be the case, as he and dozens of other ICE detainees were transported about four hours away to a federal correctional institution in Atlanta run by the US Bureau of Prisons (BoP).
The prison reportedly normally houses criminal defendants but was opened up to ICE detainees as part of the Trump administration's efforts to increase detentions.
Thomas claimed that the conditions and treatment he received at the new prison were much worse than in the Folkston facility.
He said: 'The staff didn't know why we were there and they were treating us exactly as they would treat BoP prisoners, and they told us that.
'We were treated less than human.'
Thomas explained how he was frequently hungry, saying the food was 'disgusting slop' made up of 'mysterious meat that at times appeared to have chunks of bones and other inedible items mixed in'.
He also added that the clothing was far from adequate, with the facility allegedly only giving him a used, ripped underwear and a jumpsuit and no shirt.
Despite needing medical visits, Thomas said he and other detainees never saw a doctor. He also claimed that he heard people crying for help but not getting any from staff.
He also said that for some time he did not receive the psychiatric medication he requested, and that when he did staff would just throw the pill under his door.
Toilet paper seemed to be another problem, with detainees reportedly only receiving one roll per week. Thomas went on to detail how he was often cold with only a thin blanket for warmth.
He told The Guardian that their recreation time was limited to an enclosure that 'resembles an indoor cage'.
He added: 'You couldn't see the outside whatsoever. I didn't see the sky for weeks.'
Thomas explained how ICE representatives would come to the prison once a week to speak with detainees, but the situation was always 'pandemonium' with people crowding around to try and talk and no translators for people who did not speak English or Spanish.
Due to there being no international calls, Thomas was unable to speak to his children. He added: 'I don't know how I made it through.'
For a brief period in mid-March, Thomas said he was moved to yet another ICE facility until he was finally put on a flight back to Ireland with two armed federal officers.