Number of Irish citizens deported from US rises by more than 50%

Jim Brown (right), whose wife Donna Hughes-Brown is facing deportation to Ireland, described the recent crackdown as "insane"

The number of Irish citizens deported from the United States has risen by more than 50% so far in 2025 compared to the previous year, figures released to BBC News NI show.

Between January and September 2025, 99 Irish people were deported, according to statistics from the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unit.

This compares to 60 deportations between October 2023 and September 2024. A US immigration lawyer told BBC News NI the number had increased since President Donald Trump's election.

A spokesperson for ICE said: "Individuals who are in the US lawfully and have not violated immigration laws or committed crimes have no reason to fear enforcement actions."

Claire Doutre, an immigration attorney with McEntee Law, said many people were now facing more intense enforcement of immigration law, including Irish citizens.

"The biggest change is that we are seeing a lot more people without criminal backgrounds, who have been here for years, getting detained," she said.

Immigration lawyer Claire Doutre said she was seeing more people without criminal records being detained

She added that many being detained and deported entered the US lawfully but overstayed their visas.

"Everybody is at risk right now."

A US Navy veteran whose Irish citizen wife is set to be deported due to two prior convictions for fraud described the recent crackdown as "insane".

Jim Brown's wife Donna Hughes-Brown has lived in the US since she was a child but faces deportation for two convictions, which he said stems from writing bad cheques for $49 and $22 more than a decade ago.

"They keep talking about all the bad people. Donna is not that person. Yes, she's made mistakes, but who hasn't," he told BBC News NI.

How many Irish people have been deported from the US?

It is believed there are more than 100,000 Irish citizens living in the US.

Figures released to BBC News NI show that between 1 January this year and 29 September, 99 Irish citizens were deported.

This is an increase of more than 50% compared to the 2024 fiscal year - from October 2023 to September 2024 - during which 60 Irish citizens were deported.

In previous years the number of deportations per fiscal year were:

• 2023: 37

• 2022: 17

• 2021: 10

• 2020: 19

The number of Irish citizens in the US who have requested assistance from the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in relation to deportation has also increased in the last few years.

Statistics provided to BBC News NI from the DFA show that between 1 January and 25 September 2025 there were 51 requests - up from 15 in 2024.

In the past five years the next highest number of requests was 18 in 2023, while the figures went as low as five in 2021.

According to information from the United States government, authorities can detain and potentially deport non-citizens who participate in criminality; are considered a threat to public safety; or violate their visa.

'She was trying to survive'

Jim Brown told BBC News NI his wife has been detained in an ICE facility for 90 days and is due for deportation to Ireland, a country she has not lived in since she was a child, over two fraud convictions.

Ms Hughes-Brown, an Irish citizen, has lived in the US since her parents moved to the country in the 1970s. She has held a green card since she was 18.

Mr Brown said she does not "deserve" to be detained as the convictions relate to two bad cheques at "a grocery store", written in 2012 and 2015, for $49 and $22.

He said the bad cheques were due to Mrs Hughes-Brown being unable to afford to feed her family at the time.

"She was trying to survive," he said.

Donna Hughes-Brown moved to the United States with her parents when she was a child

ICE confirmed the dates and nature of the two convictions, but did not respond when asked to confirm the specific figures.

Mr Brown, who served in the US Navy for 20 years including in the Gulf War, said it is "not only wrong, but also a waste of money" that his wife has been jailed for "such minor" infractions.

A spokesperson for ICE said that, when re-entering the US in July, Mrs Hughes-Brown was "referred to secondary inspection due to her prior criminal history, which includes two convictions for fraud involving the passing of bad checks, one in 2012 and another for 2015".

"Following the inspection, she was arrested and subsequently transferred to ICE custody, where she was placed in removal proceedings."

The statement added that ICE is "prioritizing the removal of criminal alien offenders who pose a threat to public safety and the rule of law".

The US government has said it can detain and potentially deport non-citizens who participate in criminality; are considered a threat to public safety; or violate their visa.

Jim Brown said conditions at his wife's detention facility were "wrong"

Mr Brown said the facility in which Mrs Hughes-Brown has been detained is "awful", adding that detainees are given unhealthy food and are not having their medical needs met.

"The toilet was backed up for a week, and there are 25 women to a toilet. They had to sit there and smell that for a week," he said.

"It's wrong. It's just wrong."

Mr Brown added that authorities at the facility had failed to provide his wife with medication, which he said she needs.

A senior official at the Department for Homeland Security (DHS) said ICE have "among the highest detention standards" in the US.

"All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with lawyers and their family members."

The statement added that ICE provides "comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody", and that "meals are certified by dieticians".

"Ensuring the safety, security, and wellbeing of individuals in our custody is a top priority at ICE."

ICE have said they are prioritising the removal of non-citizens "who pose a threat to public safety and the rule of law"

Mr Brown, who described the government's actions as "overreach" and "egregious", said he was worried he will be separated from his wife long-term.

Ms Doutre said it had become "practically impossible" for those detained by ICE to obtain bail.

"If I look at it from an efficiency and monetary side, [the US is] wasting money. It is wild that this is happening," she added.

'No room for error'

Ms Doutre also said detainees are often kept at facilities with "deplorable" conditions.

She added that she expects ICE enforcement to intensify, and that the advice she and her colleagues offer to clients has changed.

"There's no room for error. Every case is so scrutinised that we really need people to go in prepared.

"Once you're in detention, it is really hard to work on your case. My advice right now is line up an attorney, prepare your case ahead of time, and get all your evidence ready."

A senior DHS official told BBC News NI that "lawful permanent residents presenting at a US port of entry with certain criminal convictions may be found inadmissible, placed in removal proceedings, and subject to mandatory detention".

A spokesperson for the Irish DFA said: "Where a citizen does request consular assistance as a result of an impending deportation, the department can assist with providing information on the deportation arrangements, contacting family/friends at the request of the citizen and providing a list of English-speaking lawyers."