Green Card Holder in US for Decades Was Held by ICE for Over 2 Weeks

Cliona Ward, a 54-year-old green card holder who first came to the U.S. when she was 12 years old, was released Wednesday from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Washington after spending more than two weeks in custody.

Newsweek has reached out to Ward's sister, Orla Holladay, for comment via email on Thursday.

Why It Matters

Ward's detention on April 21 came amid an immigration crackdown under the Trump administration, during which people with valid documentation—including green cards or visas—have been detained and face legal jeopardy.

President Donald Trump vowed to prevent illegal immigrants with criminal histories or backgrounds from entering and staying in the U.S. He has pledged to launch the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history and has detained and deported thousands of people in recent months.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) says that a green card holder has the right to live permanently in the U.S. provided they do not commit any actions that "would make you removable under immigration law." This includes breaking laws and not filing taxes.

What To Know

"Cliona is finally in her own bed and we are all ready for some quiet and reflection," Holladay wrote in a Thursday update on her sister's GoFundMe page. The update comes after Ward spent over two weeks in ICE detention following her recent trip to Ireland, where she is originally from.

Her sister, Holladay, previously told Newsweek that Ward went on the trip to help "assist our stepmother to go back to Ireland, where my father is currently dying."

Upon return to the U.S. she was held at the airport for three days, her sister told Newsweek, noting that the conditions were particularly bad. Officials then released her so she could retrieve necessary documentation proving that her criminal records had been expunged and then to deliver them to the Customs office at San Francisco International Airport.

Ward's prior criminal record includes six cases—two felonies involving possession of drugs and four misdemeanors including "failure to notify DMV [Department of Motor Vehicles] of address change within 10 days," according to court documents reviewed by Newsweek.

"My sister had an addiction that lasted about five years," Holladay said. The felonies for drug possession were in December 2007 and January 2008. Holladay said: "Those court cases are from 20-plus years ago. She has been completely sober for 20-plus years...the reality of the felony is that she was an addict and she was picked up for possessing the poison that she was putting into her own body."

When she arrived at the airport on April 21 to follow up on her case, CBP agents detained her. On Wednesday, May 7, a federal judge dismissed her case, finding not enough evidence to warrant deportation.

Ward's lawyer, Michael Mehr, told Newsweek on Thursday that Ward's "convictions were vacated because her criminal attorney at the time of the conviction did not advise her that a plea to these offenses would make her deportable and inadmissible (if she were to travel and return) so her plea was not knowing, intelligent, and voluntary in violation of the Due Process clause of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments."

He continued, "Prior to Trump 2.0, Customs and Border Protection would not have detained Cliona Ward because she was not a security risk or a flight risk."

Ward's local representative, Jimmy Panetta, celebrated the move.

What People Are Saying

Michael Mehr, Ward's attorney in Santa Cruz, told Newsweek: "This is an example of the overreach of the new Trump deportation plan which sweeps up even lawful permanent residents like Cliona Ward. She was not a danger to anyone. She was, in fact, the primary care-giver for her chronically ill son and a long time and valued employee at a Christian conference center. She had resided in the U.S. since she was 12 years old...The only thing Trump's administration did with this escapade was to tarnish our image abroad and at home."

Representative Jimmy Panetta, a California Democrat, said in a statement to Newsweek: "Cliona Ward's release demonstrates what can happen when we come together to fight for transparency, due process, and justice. We fought for Cliona from the top down and the bottom up. I pressured officials from the White House to the Irish government. We worked with her exceptional legal team from Seattle to Santa Cruz. And we coordinated with community advocates and her family. We fought to make sure that all of the facts about Cliona and her case were presented so that the Court could use its full discretion and do the right thing."

Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin previously told Newsweek: "The Trump administration is enforcing immigration laws—something the previous administration failed to do. Those who violate these laws will be processed, detained and removed as required."

Legal analyst Steven Clark told NBC in April: "Prior drug convictions are particularly problematic, even though they've been decriminalized under state law. They are very serious under federal law. So, for people who have prior drug or theft convictions, you could be in the crosshairs of the Trump administration's deportation policies."

What Happens Next

Ward has returned home, where she is the primary care provider for her son, who is an American citizen and is chronically ill with Crohn's disease and a complicated fistula.

Many have raised concerns about the Trump administration's detention and deportation practices, saying the process often lacks due process protections for individuals. Supporters say the crackdown is necessary to deter illegal immigration and remove criminals.

Update 5/8/25, 4:22 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Michael Mehr.