The 58-year-old, who is an Irish citizen and permanent US resident with a green card, was held for nearly five months, after being detained at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago following a trip to Ireland for a family funeral
16:00, 20 Dec 2025Updated 19:21, 20 Dec 2025
Donna Hughes-Brown with her husband, James Brown(Image: GoFundMe)
An Irish grandmother who had been facing deportation from the United States over “bad” cheques written 10 years ago has been released from ICE detention after being held for nearly five months.
Donna Hughes Brown, an Irish citizen and permanent U.S. resident with a green card, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on July 29 after landing at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on a flight from Dublin following a trip to Ireland for a family funeral.
After five days in detention in Chicago, Donna was transferred to a facility in Campbell County, Kentucky, where she remained in custody for five months, with the U.S. government threatening to deport her over a misdemeanour relating to two bad cheques, totalling less than $80, she signed in 2015 and for which she made restitution and received probation.
A bond hearing initially set for August 13 was delayed due to a clerical error. When the hearing finally took place on August 15, a DHS attorney argued that new legislation prevented bond from being granted.
A second hearing on August 26 resulted in bond being denied.
Born in England to Irish parents, Donna grew up in Ireland before moving to the United States in 1977 with her family when she was 11 years old.
She has since then lived there legally as a permanent resident alien and has held a green card for more than 30 year, but is not a U.S. citizen.
The 58-year-old has five children and grandchildren, and is a full-time healthcare worker who currently resides in Missouri with her husband of eight years, Jim Brown, who is US citizen and army veteran.
Donna and her family have been fighting for her freedom since her detention began and an immigration hearing was held in Memphis, Tennessee, on Thursday.
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According to the Irish Times, Donna’s legal team had about 40 character witnesses ready to testify and a letter signed by 18 US Senators stating she should not be detained.
However, shortly after hearing the first character witness, immigration judge Kelly Johnson ruled that the should be release, meaning she will be able to spend Christmas with her family after being separated for months.
Speaking to local news site First Alert 4 following her release, Donna described her months in detention as a nightmare.
“Like, this isn’t really happening, you know? I’m still waiting to wake up from this crazy nightmare,” she said.
“I was afraid that I was going to be deported most definitely.
Donna added: “As far as being scared, I’m scared that this is going to continue. It affects everybody. And nobody is safe. Nobody is safe.”
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