The twin daughters of Séamus Culleton, an Irish man detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, have claimed he abandoned them and faces drug charges in Ireland. They advocate for his deportation following his public complaints about detention conditions. The case has drawn attention in the U.S. immigration debate.
Séamus Culleton, who entered the United States in 2009 under a visa waiver program allowing a 90-day stay but never left, was arrested by ICE on September 9, one day before an immigration judge issued a final deportation order, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Culleton called into Ireland's RTE radio, describing his ICE detention conditions as "torture" and stating, "I just don’t know how much more I can take." Federal authorities offered him immediate removal to Ireland, but he chose to remain in custody, DHS reported. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin commented on X that detention is a choice and encouraged use of the CBP Home app for self-deportation, offering $2,600 and a free flight, adding that those who do not comply risk arrest and permanent bar from return.
Culleton's 18-year-old twin daughters, Melissa and Heather Morrissey, spoke to the Irish Daily Mail, asserting he "abandoned" them after their birth and provided no financial support to their mother. They learned he was their father at age 12 and had limited contact, including sporadic texts that they eventually blocked out of fear their mother would see them. At around 15 or 16, they reconnected briefly, but he refused to visit Ireland, saying he would never return. For their 18th birthday last year, he gave each €1,000 only after they jokingly asked via contact.
The daughters highlighted Culleton's 2008 charges in Ireland for drug possession with intent to sell or supply, personal consumption, and obstructing authorities, as well as public drunkenness. He failed to appear in court and fled before a warrant was issued. "I think he should come back here and he should get arrested," Heather said, noting his radio appearance shocked her, especially since he contacted media and his wife Tiffany Smyth but not them directly. They expressed outrage over his fundraising campaign raising over $30,000 for legal fees and Smyth's statements prioritizing her dogs, whom she called her "babies." Heather responded, "They’re dogs... he has children. His dogs aren’t his children."
Heather emphasized, "I feel that we were born and he just up and left. He did abandon us. That’s what he did."
