Latest news with #visaoverstay
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Irish father-of-three 'is detained for three months by US ICE officials and "treated less than human" in brutal prison after overstaying his visa by three days when he was too ill to fly'
An Irish father-of-three has described how he spent around 100 days behind bars in horrific conditions after being detained by United States immigration officials. The man, named only as Thomas, says he overstayed his 90-day tourist visa by only three days when a brush with police saw him taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. The tech worker travelled from Ireland to West Virginia to visit his girlfriend last autumn, and had planned to return home in October, The Guardian reports. But when he badly tore his calf, causing severe swelling and making it difficult to walk, his doctor reportedly told him not to travel for eight to twelve weeks due to the risk of blood clots. This took his stay under the US visa waiver programme just over the December 8 authorisation cut off, according to the report. Thomas got paperwork from his doctor to prove his reasons for overstaying and is said to have attempted to contact both the Irish and US embassies, but did not hear back due to it being short notice. He said he was preparing to return home when, during a hotel stay to visit his girlfriend's family in Georgia, he had a mental health episode and a row erupted between him and his girlfriend. The police were called and he was detained, then released on bond. But rather than being allowed to walk free he was taken in by immigration officials, who saw his visa status and sent him 100 miles away to an ICE processing centre, it is reported. He signed a form and agreed to be removed from the US and return to Ireland, his attorney reportedly said. But instead of being deported, he continued to be held by ICE. He described harsh conditions at their facility in Folkston, GA, including only getting one hour of outdoor time a week and enduring a five-day lockdown which meant he was not allowed to contact his family. In February, after around two months in the facility, Thomas and around 50 other detainees were moved to a holding cell. 'I thought I was finally going home,' he reportedly said, calling his family to tell them the news. But instead he and the dozens of other ICE were transported some four hours away to a federal correctional institution in Atlanta run by the US Bureau of Prisons (BoP), he claimed. He said the prison, which 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 jail were far worse than in his previous facility. '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,' Thomas said. 'We were treated less than human.' He described being 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'. There were inadequate clothes, he said, with the facility allegedly only giving him a used, ripped underwear and a jumpsuit and no shirt. Each detainee was only given a single toilet paper roll a week, he claimed, and he was often cold with only a thin blanket for warmth. Despite requiring medical visits, he said he and others never saw a doctor, and that he heard people crying for help but not getting any from staff. He said that for some time he did not receive the psychiatric medication he requested, and that when he did staff would throw the pill under his door. Inmates' recreation time would be in an enclosure that 'resembles an indoor cage,' he related to The Guardian, telling the newspaper: 'You couldn't see the outside whatsoever. I didn't see the sky for weeks.' When ICE representatives would come to the facility once a week to talk to the detainees, he said, the situation was 'pandemonium', with people crowding around to try to speak and no translators for people who did not speak English or Spanish. Thomas was unable to speak to his kids due to there being no international calls, he said, adding: 'I don't know how I made it through.' He was moved to another ICE facility in mid-March for a brief period, he said, before finally being taken on a flight back to Ireland by two armed federal officers. MailOnline has contacted ICE and the US government for comment on the claims. It comes after an Irish woman was detained by ICE for 17 days, despite having a valid green card and having lived in California since the age of 12. Cliona Ward, 54, was detained by customs officers in Seattle on March 19 because of a criminal record dating back almost 20 years. She had returned from a seven-day trip to County Cork in the southwest of Ireland after escorting her 86-year-old step-mother, Janet, to visit her ailing husband, Owen Ward, 81, who is dying of dementia. There she was questioned regarding drug and theft related convictions, including misdemeanor charges from 2007 and 2008. She explained to officials that the crimes had been expunged from her record and was subsequently released but told to provide proof in person at a later date. She returned to the Customs and Border Protection office at SFO airport in San Francisco on April 21 for an 'administrative hearing', where she was detained. Eventually, a California judge agreed to an application for the original convictions to be formally overturned at a federal level, enabling her eventual release. ICE has this week furiously denied claims that detainees are 'starving' in detention centres. A recent NBC News report, based on testimony from immigration advocates, claimed that detainees have had to deal with overcrowding, food shortages and spoiled food at detention centers in at least seven states. After the outlet published the story early Monday morning, Homeland Security took to its X account and criticised the network, denying the claims in its report. The report cited a former ICE official, who it said had told the outlet that detention facilities struggle to stay stocked up with food when new illegal migrants are brought in. 'While the agency can move money around to cover the cost of detaining more immigrants, planning for unexpected daily spikes can be difficult for facilities and could lead to food being served late or in small quantities,' the outlet reported, per the source.
The Guardian
27-06-2025
- The Guardian
Tell us how you might be affected by Trump's new travel ban
Donald Trump has announced an order banning travel from 12 countries and restricting travel seven others, citing a range of reasons including national security and concerns that visitors from those countries are overstaying their visas. The nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen will be 'fully' restricted from entering the US, according to the proclamation. Meanwhile, the entry of nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela will be partially restricted. There is an exemption, however, outlined in section 4 of the order, which states that 'any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the secretary of state' are not subject to the ban. We'd like to hear from people from the listed countries and how they might be affected by the ban. How would it affect your job or your relationships with a partner, friends or family in the US? If you already had plans to visit the country, what will happen now? Have you had an exemption? You can tell us how you might be affected by Trump's new travel ban by filling in the form below, or messaging us. Please include as much detail as possible Please include as much detail as possible Please note, the maximum file size is 5.7 MB. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. If you include other people's names please ask them first. Contact us on WhatsApp or Signal at +447766780300. For more information, please see our guidance on contacting us via WhatsApp, For true anonymity please use our SecureDrop service instead. If you're having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.
CNA
08-06-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Commentary: America First, China Next? Why Trump's new travel ban harms US interests
SINGAPORE: United States President Donald Trump has rebooted his travel ban, hitting Southeast Asia for the first time. He banned – partially or fully – citizens of 19 countries, including Myanmar and Laos, from entering the US with effect from Monday (Jun 9). He clearly learned lessons from the ban he instituted initially during his first term. Mr Trump' playbook started with an executive order on the first day of his second term ordering the State Department to launch a global review of foreign governments' vetting and screening capabilities and to identify which were 'so deficient as to warrant' a travel ban. This time, instead of calling it a 'Muslim ban' like he did eight years ago with no study, he justified the ban for national security reasons after a review of several months, claiming also that people from those countries had high rates of overstaying their visas. This policy, preordained but dressed in process, will likely be upheld by the courts. 'A CONVENIENT DISTRACTION' FROM BAD NEWS The travel ban comes amid reports of the lowest US job growth in two years, strong public criticism of Mr Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' from Elon Musk as they feud, and an antisemitic attack a week ago. 'This noxious reboot comes as a convenient distraction from so many bad news items in the form of setbacks for the Trump agenda,' Thurgood Marshall Jr, a senior Clinton official, told me. And while Mr Trump said last week's Colorado 'terror attack' for which an Egyptian national has been charged with injuring several with gasoline bombs spurred the timing of the travel ban, Egypt not being on the list undercuts his premise this ban would have prevented it from happening. This ban both appeals to his core MAGA anti-immigration base and advances his governing philosophy. Mr Trump made the real message plain as he announced the travel ban: 'We don't want them.' The 'America First' agenda includes a sweeping crackdown on immigration: So far, he has barred international students from Harvard University, halted student visa interviews for those accepted to US schools and ordered immigration raids across the country. Of course, every country can and should aim to ensure only legal and lawful immigration to their territory. Citizens from certain countries should receive higher scrutiny for any number of reasons, including whether their government sponsors terrorism. Individuals who have a high chance of overstaying their visa can also be denied one. A blanket ban on all citizens from a given country provides the easy way out administratively and a political win from his base; however, it brings upon the US geopolitical harm. SOUTHEAST ASIA NOT SPARED This time, Laos and Myanmar were included in Mr Trump's travel ban – countries that accounted for barely 11,000 of the 72 million foreign visitors in 2024 per the Department of Commerce. Rick Reece, Executive Director of non-governmental organisation Village Focus International, an American who has lived and worked in Laos since 1998, told me: 'There are so many family connections [with the US] here. Now, uncertainty with the US comes out in anger and cynicism.' 'I hope Lao people don't lose their respect and admiration for the US. My own son and wife, both Lao passport holders, would love to visit the US to see friends and family, but I can't see that happening for the foreseeable future,' he added. Tatum Albertine, a former State Department and USAID official with years of experience in Myanmar, told me it was surprising to see Myanmar included in the travel ban. 'I don't think the Trump Administration even knows what it wants out of its relationship with them,' she said. The US had already taken a reputational hit in the country in the wake of the deadly earthquake in March. 'Trump 2.0 massively failed in sending a USAID humanitarian intervention team,' she added. '[Secretary of State Marco] Rubio said they were deployed, but people on the ground tell me that was not true – those people who were ready had been fired.' The rest of Southeast Asia, including Singapore, are also caught in Mr Trump's continuing assault on immigration, with the halt to student visa interviews pending the expansion of 'social media screening and vetting'. No one knows how long this will last. Some students who have been accepted to US schools have no idea when, or if, they'll be allowed to enter the country. Those already enrolled aren't sure if they will be let back in if they head home during the summer break. In a region where the US competes with China for influence, a ban on two ASEAN member states and collateral damage from the change to student visas could strengthen China's hand. AMERICA FIRST LEADS TO CHINA NEXT While there will be no immediate fallout by banning travel from these countries given their lack of geopolitical and geoeconomic standing, there will still be consequences. Mr Trump's broader immigration policies create anxiety about US travel, amid unhappiness about his sweeping tariffs. A head of global public affairs at an American multinational told me she can't have her team meet in the US this summer because many of her international staff fear travelling there. New York City, the top US destination for internation travel, estimated 2.5 million (or 17 per cent) fewer foreign travellers in 2025. Travel from Canada, the US' top source of visitors, is expected to go down more than 20 per cent. The World Travel & Tourism Council projects a US$12.5 billion loss in international visitor spending this year. Nelson Cunningham, who served in the Biden administration as a Senior Advisor at the State Department, told me: 'If we cut off contact with the best and brightest around the world, America First cannot help but become America Alone'. 'America First inevitably leads to China Next,' he concluded. With the new travel ban, governments will continue to seek alternate markets and partners for trade and security. Businesses will see diminish their advantages with access to foreign government officials, customers and employees. The erosion of Brand America continues.
New York Times
05-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Trump's New Travel Ban Is Built on Lessons from First-Term Fights
President Trump's new travel ban appears devised to avoid legal flaws that slowed early versions in his first term. But the new order adds an innovation — banning countries with visitors who frequently overstay their visas — that could be a fresh basis for a challenge, immigration legal experts said. During his first term, Mr. Trump enacted a series of bans that shut the borders to citizens of various countries he deemed problematic, spurring a fierce fight over the moves. Courts blocked his first two attempts at a travel ban, but in 2018, the Supreme Court allowed his third, more carefully drafted, order to take effect. That order went away not because of a court ruling, but because President Joseph R. Biden Jr. rescinded it in January 2021, after he took office. Mr. Trump's new order, issued late Wednesday, mainly builds on the structure and rationale of the version that survived Supreme Court review last time. On Thursday, a range of immigration legal advocates said they were still studying its details to assess whether there was sufficient footing for a lawsuit. 'It's a different ban, using lessons they learned from challenges to the first, second and third travel ban about how to justify one,' said Shev Dalal-Dheini of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. 'They took steps to try to protect against litigation.' That said, she added, 'I don't think it's foolproof.' The countries Mr. Trump targeted were primarily in Africa and the Middle East. Many of them were selected based on a similar rationale that the Supreme Court upheld in Mr. Trump's first term: Their governments are either dysfunctional or hostile and uncooperative, impeding steps like security vetting. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Fox News
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump bans travel to US from several countries to block ‘dangerous foreign actors'
President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping order blocking travel to the U.S. from nearly 20 countries identified as high-risk for terrorism, visa abuse and failure to share security information. The new travel restrictions — announced under Executive Order 14161 — apply to nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Libya and Yemen, all deemed "very high risk" due to terrorist activity, weak or hostile governments, and high visa overstay rates. Seven more countries, including Venezuela, Cuba and Laos, face partial restrictions. "President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm," said White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson to Fox News Digital. She called the restrictions "commonsense" and targeted at countries that "lack proper vetting, exhibit high visa overstay rates, or fail to share identity and threat information." In a video posted Wednesday night, Trump said, "The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted, as well as those who come here as temporary visitors and overstay their visas. We don't want them." "In the 21st century, we've seen one terror attack after another carried out by foreign visa overstayers from dangerous places all over the world," he added. "Thanks to Biden's open-door policies, today there are millions and millions of these illegals who should not be in our country." Trump said his first-term travel restrictions were "one of our most successful policies" and "a key part of preventing major foreign terror attacks on American soil." Afghanistan, for example, has a student visa overstay rate of 29.3% and is controlled by the Taliban, a designated global terrorist group. Iran remains a state sponsor of terrorism and has refused cooperation with U.S. authorities. Libya, Somalia and Yemen all lack functioning governments capable of issuing secure documents. "We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States," Trump said. "That is why today I am signing a new executive order placing travel restrictions on countries including Yemen, Somalia, Haiti, Libya and numerous others," he concluded. "We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm, and nothing will stop us from keeping America safe."
