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56 Irish nationals arrested as part of President Trump's immigration crackdown

56 Irish nationals arrested as part of President Trump's immigration crackdown

Irish Daily Mirror17 hours ago
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested at least 56 Irish nationals as part of President Donald Trump's intensified immigration crackdown so far this year.
Of these, 43 have either been deported or are scheduled for deportation. According to data obtained by the Sunday Independent, 35 males and 21 females were arrested. The majority of these were in Boston, New York or New Jersey and were mostly in their 20s overstaying their three-month tourist visas.
As well as the 43 Irish citizens who were deported, the figures show many more are being detained.
Despite President Trump's claims that his administration is seeking out the 'worst of the worst' and that they are attempting to deport 'dangerous criminals', the majority of Irish people deported had no criminal record.
Of the 43, 10 had a criminal conviction, while six were facing a criminal charge, the data shows.
Figures separately provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs showed 43 Irish people have sought consular assistance for deportation related issues in the US so far this year. This is a sharp rise from previous years. There were 15 such cases last year, 18 in 2023, 11 in 2022 and five in 2021.
The figures were provided in ­response to a series of parliamentary questions to the Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Harris, who said his officials stand ready to provide all possible consular assistance to Irish citizens in difficulty abroad.
'The number of citizens who have requested assistance in relation to deportation from the United States of America in the year to date is 43,' Mr Harris said.
'This number 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 Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
'It is important to note that this figure only relates to cases where a 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.'
The total number of people held in ICE detention jumped from 40,000 before Trump's inauguration to about 55,000 last month.
However, there are just 41,500 detainee beds available, meaning facilities are becoming overcrowded. There have been 127,000 deportations since Mr Trump took office.
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