Irish woman living legally in US for decades detained after visiting her father in Ireland

An Irish woman who has been living legally in the United States for decades has been taken into detention by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after a trip to Ireland to visit her sick father.

Cliona Ward (54), who went to the US in her early teens and is the sole carer for a son with special needs, is in an ICE facility in Tacoma, Washington state, according to the enforcement agency’s website.

Her sister, Orla Holladay, who also lives in the US, said Ward travelled back to Ireland recently with their stepmother to visit their father, who has dementia.

On her return to the US, Ward, who has been living in Santa Cruz, California, for more than 30 years, was questioned about drug possession convictions from more than a decade ago that have reportedly been “expunged” under state but not under federal law.


https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/2025/04/27/irish-woman-living-legally-in-us-for-decades-detained-after-returning-from-visit-to-ireland-to-see-her-father/