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]

Sentiment score: -0.03

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?

Sentiment score: -0.06

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.

Sentiment score: -0.02

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.

Sentiment score: 0.28

Keep going.

Sentiment score: 0.00