An Irish woman who was detained by US immigration authorities because of a criminal record dating back almost 20 years has been released after 17 days in custody.
Cliona Ward, 54, who has lived legally in the US for decades, emerged on Wednesday from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) facility at Tacoma in Washington.
After visiting her sick father in Ireland she had been detained at San Francisco airport on 21 April, causing an outcry in Ireland and the US and a campaign for her release.
Last week a California judge agreed to an application for the original convictions to be formally overturned in a manner that would be recognised at a federal level, paving the way for her release, according to Ward’s lawyers.
The incarceration left Ward traumatised but she was thankful for the support and is now recuperating, her sister, Orla Holladay, wrote on a GoFundMe page. “Cliona is finally in her own bed and we are all ready for some quiet and reflection.”
Irish woman detained by US immigration released after 17 days in custody
An Irish woman who was detained by US immigration authorities because of a criminal record dating back almost 20 years has been released after 17 days in custody. Cliona Ward, 54, who has lived legally in the US for decades, emerged on Wednesday from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) facility at Tacomain Washington. After visiting her sick father in Ireland she had been detained at San Francisco airport on 21 April, causing an outcry…
Georgia citizen Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez was arrested during a Florida traffic stop and detained by ICE. He was later charged under Florida’s SB 4-C, targeting undocumented immigrants who evade federal immigration inspection. A federal court has since blocked the law’s enforcement, and Lopez-Gomez was ultimately released from custody.
Badar Khan Suri didn’t carry a weapon. He carried a syllabus.
A postdoc at Georgetown, he taught courses on peacebuilding, minority rights, and international diplomacy. His lectures challenged power with principle. His research gave voice to the stateless. That was his crime.
DHS never accused him of violence. Never accused him of lying. Just thinking too loudly. Being too brown, too bold, too unwilling to shut up.
And so, in March 2025, they grabbed him.
Masked agents. No warning. Broad daylight. His children watched from the window. His wife — a U.S. citizen — screamed as the SUV pulled away. Georgetown stayed silent for three days. Then the protests began. Students. Professors. Even Jewish alumni. All demanding his release.
The government didn’t care.
What evidence did they offer? His father-in-law was once a Hamas spokesperson. That’s it. No charges. No trial. No defense. Just guilt by association, passed down like a curse.
They revoked his visa. Hauled him to Texas. Locked him away without a single charge.
As of April 2025, he remains detained at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. He has not been deported. He has not been charged. A federal judge has temporarily blocked his removal while his legal team fights back. His next immigration court hearing is scheduled for May 6.
They call him a national security threat.
We call him a scholar silenced.
Fear and Loathing: Closer to the Edge
Badar Khan Suri didn’t carry a weapon. He carried a syllabus. A postdoc at Georgetown, he taught courses on peacebuilding, minority rights, and international diplomacy. His lectures challenged power…
