An Irish tourist says he was detained for over three months by U.S. immigration authorities after overstaying his visa by just three days due to a medical emergency.
The man, who gave his name only as Thomas, told The Guardian he arrived in West Virginia last fall to visit his girlfriend and planned to return to Ireland in December. But after severely tearing his calf muscle, doctors advised him not to fly for 8 to 12 weeks due to the risk of blood clots.
Thomas said he obtained documentation from his physician and contacted both the Irish embassy and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to request a visa extension. “I thought they would understand because I had the correct paperwork. It was just a couple of days for medical reasons,” he said.
Instead, events took a dramatic turn. After suffering a mental health episode that drew law enforcement to the hotel where he was staying, Thomas was briefly jailed over a charge of “falsely imprisoning” his girlfriend, then released on bond. But shortly after, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained him and transferred him to a processing center in Georgia.
Though he signed a form agreeing to voluntary removal and was told he would soon be deported, a fight broke out at the facility, leading to a five-day lockdown. Weeks passed without progress.
After 50 days, Thomas was transferred to another ICE facility in Atlanta. There, he described appalling conditions: filthy mattresses, rodents, broken bunk beds with no ladders, and a jumpsuit stained with what he believed was blood. He said he was often freezing with only a thin blanket and was frequently left hungry from inedible food.
“The staff didn’t know why we were there,” he said. “They treated us just like Bureau of Prisons inmates and told us that. We were treated less than human.”
Thomas said detainees cried out for medical attention—some saying they couldn’t breathe—but were ignored. “I heard people crying for doctors, and staff just said, ‘I’m not a doctor,’ and walked away.”
After roughly 100 days in detention, Thomas was finally released. He’s unsure whether he’ll ever be allowed to return to the U.S., where he previously traveled often for work. His girlfriend is now planning to relocate to Ireland to be with him.
“I’ll never forget it,” he said. “It still doesn’t feel real. When I think about it, it’s like a movie I’m watching.”
A Pattern of Detention Controversies
Thomas’s story echoes other recent cases involving harsh treatment of foreign nationals under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
In one high-profile incident, Canadian actress Jasmine Mooney was detained over a visa issue in March. And just this month, a woman from Switzerland—identified only as Jane—was detained at a U.S. airport during a trip meant to celebrate her recovery from cancer.
Jane said she was chained to a chair for hours before being taken to the Elizabeth Detention Center in New Jersey, where she was held for 13 hours without legal representation and then deported.
“I felt dehumanized,” she told WPIX. “They treat us worse than animals.”
She recounted being interrogated by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, who searched her devices and financial records. The facility, she said, was cold, windowless, overcrowded, and lacked basic hygiene supplies.
Both cases have sparked renewed concern from human rights advocates about the treatment of foreign nationals and the growing reach of U.S. immigration enforcement.
