Irish tourist in US jailed after injury & overstaying visa by 3 days, kept in jail 'infested with cockroaches'

An Irish tourist on a short-term visit to the U.S. found himself spending roughly 100 days behind bars in abysmal conditions after he was detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), he told The Guardian.

His crime? Overstaying his visit by just three days, despite doing his best to inform the authorities of his situation.

Injury prevented him from leaving

The man, 35, who went by the pseudonym 'Thomas', told The Guardian that he was on one of his frequent trips to the U.S. to visit his girlfriend who is based in West Virginia.

Under a visa waiver program, he was allowed to stay in the U.S. for 90 days and had to leave the country by Dec. 8, 2024.

The plan was derailed when Thomas sustained a serious leg injury some time before Oct. 2024, which prevented him from boarding a plane due to the risk of blood clots.

As he was ordered by a doctor to avoid travelling for eight to 12 weeks, he would have to stay in the U.S. slightly past Dec. 8, The Guardian said.

Thomas reportedly acquired the paperwork needed to request for an extension to his stay from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as well as the Irish and U.S. embassies, but did not receive a reply in time due to short notice.

"I thought they would understand because I had the correct paperwork. It was just a couple of days for medical reasons," he said.

Arrest and detention

Initially unnoticed, Thomas' overstay came to light some time after Dec. 8 after a fight with his girlfriend in their hotel room led to police intervention, he told The Guardian.

He was arrested by immigration authorities who had noticed his expired authorisation to stay in the U.S.

After being transported to an ICE facility in Georgia, he was given a removal order and told to sign a form agreeing to be removed from the country.

Despite doing so, he continued to be held in custody for another three months and was refused deportation to Ireland, he said.

Dirty mattresses, cockroaches and mice

After two months in detention in the ICE facility, Thomas said he was shackled, wrists and ankles, and transported to a federal prison four hours away with no indication of where he was going.

The new institution belonged to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BoP), known for housing criminals who had committed serious crimes at the federal level.

The Trump Administration has been criticised for housing detained immigrants in BoP prisons, contributing to overcrowding and deteriorating living conditions.

Thomas described the substandard conditions of the jail facilities in his interview with The Guardian.

He claimed that detainees were given dirty mattresses and unsanitary clothes, insufficient toilet paper, inedible food and inadequate bedding.

He also said the facilities were infested with cockroaches and mice.

"The staff didn’t know why we were there and they were treating us exactly as they would treat BoP prisoners," Thomas said, adding, "We were treated less than human."

He also recounted the lack of empathy and necessary skillsets by prison staff, such as the scarce medical attention he and other detainees received, as well as language barriers that prevented timely communication on case updates.

He was eventually released in mid-March 2025 and escorted on a flight back to Ireland with no explanation on what had happened.

For his minor violation, Thomas was detained for a total of about three months and banned from returning to the U.S. for ten years.

Trump's national security agenda

Since taking office for his second term in Nov. 2024, U.S. President Donald Trump has taken significant steps in pushing for a closed border, protectionist agenda, particular by deporting 'illegal immigrants'.

More than 1.44 million foreign nationals were issued deportation orders between Nov. 2024 and Feb. 2025, including about 111 Singaporeans.

On May 22, he attempted to block Harvard's ability to enrol international students, accusing the university of harbouring "anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators".

More than 150 Singaporean students were also caught in this crossfire.

ICE enforcement agents were reported to have conducted an increasing number of raids to arrest suspected illegal immigrants, including at homes and workplaces.

The brewing tensions erupted in large-scale protests on Jun. 6 in Los Angeles which saw protesters throw eggs at ICE officers as they conducted raids, but was eventually quelled by National Guards and Marines.

Political figures in the U.S. have also reportedly not been spared from the immigration crackdowns.

On Jul. 1, Trump suggested deporting Zohran Mamdani, who looks set to be the first Muslim and Indian-American mayor of New York City, accusing him of being a "communist".

However, there is currently no credible basis to suggest Mamdani is an illegal immigrant in the U.S.

With the passing of Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' on Jul. 3, an additional US$350 billion (S$445.8 billion) will be pumped into national security policies, including hiring more ICE officers.

AP News suggested that this could eventually see the largest mass deportation of immigrants in U.S.'s history.

Top image via Department of Homeland Security/Facebook