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Irish woman with Green Card detained by ICE
An Irish woman visiting her sick father in Ireland is now among the newest detainees locked up at an ICE facility in Tacoma.
TACOMA, Wash. - An Irish woman has been detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma after her family says she recently returned from Ireland.
"She's been in there for six days, and she still doesn't actually have a hearing," said Orla Holladay.
Holladay is Ward's younger sister who created this GoFundMe for Ward's legal expenses while she is locked up.
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The backstory:
Cliona Ward is a green card holder and has been living in Santa Cruz, California for 30 years, according to the online fundraiser.
Holladay says Ward was escorting their stepmother to Ireland to visit their father who is battling dementia.
When Ward returned to the United States, Holladay says her sister was questioned by customs about a drug conviction in 2007 that Holladay says had been dismissed and vacated.
She says her sister was bringing sealed paperwork to an administrative meeting in April but was arrested at San Francisco International Airport and sent to Tacoma.
"My sister's story is a story of success, of a woman who had struggled in the past with addiction, and she was picked up for drug possession," said Holladay. "[Cliona] went through extensive rehabilitation to vacate these crimes."
Immigration experts say they've seen a big difference in the way green card holders are treated when traveling in and out of the United States.
"We've heard of so many stories in just these 100 days of folks who may not have any issues before," said Jen Chen.
Jen Chan specializes in immigration and is a member of Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland, PLCC.
"These days it's gotten a little more shaky in terms of who is being targeted and who is not," said Chen.
Chen advises green card holders to check in with an immigration attorney before engaging in international travel.
"CBP has a wide reach of accessing people's criminal records, so even if you were charged but not convicted, these are what you want to be extra weary of these days, because you never know what consequences you might face upon trying to re-enter where you call home," said Chen.
Holladay says no hearing has been set for her sister and an immigration attorney has told them it could take up to four months for a hearing date.
"I want to caution people out there right now who are green card holders, if you have any kind of conviction, past conviction, I want to save anybody else from having to go through this hell," said Holladay.
The Source: Information in this story is from GoFundMe, Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland PLCC, and FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.
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