Cliona Ward, a 54-year-old Irish woman who has lived in the U.S. for over 30 years, is currently in immigration detention due to old criminal charges. Ward was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on April 21 at San Francisco airport while returning from a trip to Ireland, where she visited her sick father. She has been moved to a facility in Tacoma, Washington.
Originally from Dublin, Ward holds a green card that is valid until 2033. However, she has prior drug possession charges from 2007 and 2008. Her sister, Orla Holladay, has set up a GoFundMe page to support Ward, stating that the charges from nearly two decades ago have been expunged. Despite providing documentation about her past, Ward was taken into custody, which her family believes is an unfair action by immigration authorities.
Holladay emphasized that Ward has worked hard to rebuild her life. After struggling with addiction, she has been sober for over 20 years and has been a productive member of her community, paying taxes and caring for her chronically ill son. "She did everything she was supposed to do in order to make reparations for that criminal conviction," Holladay said.
The situation has drawn attention from political figures. Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin expressed concern over the treatment of legal residents like Ward, stating that there should be no issues for those with green cards. California Representative Jimmy Panetta also criticized the decision to detain Ward, calling it unimaginable that an expunged incident from two decades ago could lead to such serious consequences.
Ward’s case highlights ongoing debates about immigration policies and the treatment of legal residents in the U.S. As of now, a fundraising effort is underway to support her legal costs, with the goal set at $30,000.