2026-02-05

57. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of Irish citizens her Department has been advised of as being detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, agency of the United States in 2025 and 2026; the number of Irish citizens in the United States currently being assisted by consular services due to an interaction or detention by ICE; the number currently detained; if their locations are known in all cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8647/26]

The entire world is aghast at the actions of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service, ICE, in the United States. I am asking a question about Irish citizens, not documented or undocumented. It is not to make an exceptional case because all immigrant groups are being targeted. However, given that we are in the Irish Parliament, I am asking about Irish citizens. How many are being detained by ICE? Are their locations known in all cases? Will the Minister of State make a statement on the matter?

I wish to thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The provision of consular assistance to Irish citizens who get into difficulty abroad is a cornerstone of the work of the Department of foreign affairs. The provision of consular assistance is at the request of the citizen or, where the citizen cannot request such assistance, by a family member or friend. As such, there are many instances where a citizen gets into difficulty abroad and does not request consular assistance. In these cases, my Department may not necessarily be aware of their detention or impending deportation. For data relating to the activities of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, the US Department of Homeland Security maintains a publicly available website. I can confirm that the number of citizens who have requested assistance in relation to deportation from the United States of America in 2025 was 65. To date in 2026, the number of people who have requested assistance is one. The number of 65 may seem small but it is a 330% increase on the previous year. This 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 ICE. It is important to note that this figure only relates to cases where a citizen or their family has requested assistance and does not necessarily reflect all deportations to Ireland or where a citizen is currently being detained by ICE. I assure the Deputy that my officials stand ready to provide all possible consular assistance to Irish citizens who get into difficulty abroad wherever that may be. We have nine diplomatic missions in the United States. However, as the Deputy will be aware, the Department does not comment on individual cases in order to protect the identity of the citizen receiving consular assistance. As such, the Department cannot provide detail on locations, in case doing so could compromise the citizen's right to privacy.

Our figure is 65 plus one so that is 66. ICE's figures for January to September last year are 99. That means 33 people, based on those figures, have not sought consular assistance. I believe that is a low figure. We should be doing more to seek out where those Irish citizens are being held, what there status is and how they can be assisted. I do not think it is good enough in this circumstance to sit back and wait to give consular assistance. Look at the case of Donna Hughes-Brown who had been living legally in the United States since the age of 11 and is now 59 years of age. As she had two cheques for low amounts of money bounce, because she was away in Ireland on a break, and which she then cleared, she was detained, taken out of state from Chicago to Kentucky and held in conditions that were absolutely deplorable. This is what is happening to Irish citizens, both documented and undocumented. For us to just wait for an Irish citizen to contact for consular assistance is not good enough.

I have great empathy and I do not necessarily disagree with the Deputy on that point but there are very real challenges. People may have dual or triple citizenship and there are a lot of things at play. They may not want Irish Government assistance. One thing the Irish Government does in all jurisdictions is work through our network, not just of diplomatic missions but also through our coalition and alliances with Irish pastoral centres, community centres and the Irish Penal Trust which visits people who are incarcerated for whatever reason, to make sure that even where people are not seeking our assistance, they are aware we have a full obligation to Irish citizens wherever they may find themselves in the world and whatever difficulty they may find themselves in. We provide that consular assistance, or more importantly, our diplomats provide that level of assistance to the highest degree. It is not only a professional response but a humanitarian one in many difficult cases. I have travelled to the United States five times since I was appointed to this brief and on each occasion met the Irish groups, whether in New York, Boston and Chicago, who are working with individuals who are frankly very worried. We are making sure our funding to those bodies has been increased. Indeed, our responsiveness has increased as well.

Given the size of the Irish diaspora and our cultural and historic links with the United States and the very real human rights concerns we have for anyone being held by ICE in detention facilities, should we not request formally - I believe we should - from the US Secretary of Homeland Security details of all Irish citizens, documented and undocumented, in detention and where they are being held? We should request that from the United States on the grounds that we have real humanitarian concerns over how our citizens are being held along with other immigrant groups from around the world. This is a manifestation of the creeping fascism in the United States, pulling people off the streets and sending them out of state and holding them for terms of indefinite duration in absolutely deplorable conditions. We need to hold the United States to account on this. At the very least, our Minister should be asking their opposite number where our Irish citizens are.

The Irish Government maintains a very open and frank level of engagement with the US Administration at all levels, not only at federal level but also at local level, particularly at state and city level. As the Deputy knows, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, is in the United States at the moment. Where appropriate, we always raise those concerns. I have to stress this point. On the rights of the individual, it is also their right not to notify the Irish Government and not to seek consular assistance. We have to respect that right of an Irish citizen in difficulty abroad. When they or their family or friends seek consular assistance, either directly through one of our diplomatic missions or through one of the very many agencies, organisations or partners we work with in any jurisdiction, our diplomats work day and night. Those diplomats deliver a level of compassion, care and service that all Irish citizens deserve regardless of the situation they find themselves in. We will continue to do that throughout our global network.