February 20, 2026
Dogs, dads & deportation drama
Irish man detained by ICE [Update] – It's not what it seems
“No sympathy for Dad” — ICE detention splits the internet between “racism” and “rules”
TLDR: An Irish man who overstayed a U.S. visa and skipped an Irish court date is detained by ICE, while his daughter says she wants him sent home. Comments are split between calling ICE racist and insisting it’s about enforcing laws, with memes riffing on “dogs are their kids.”
Buckle up: an Irish man detained by ICE — the U.S. immigration agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement — has sparked a wild comment war after his daughter said she has “no sympathy whatsoever” and hopes he’s deported. Seamus Culleton overstayed a tourist visa in 2009, skipped an Irish court date on drug charges, later married in the U.S., and was seeking a green card when ICE picked him up in Texas. But it was his daughter’s radio interview (and the cutting line about him calling his wife’s dogs their kids) that sent the internet into meltdown.
The comments came in hot. One camp blasted ICE as racially motivated and heavy‑handed, claiming agents even show up to nab people on the day they’re sworn in as citizens. Others fired back with “read more sources” and insisted ICE mainly pursues people with criminal issues. It’s rules vs. racism, and nobody’s backing down.
Meanwhile, meme-lords seized on the “dogs are their kids” quote, pairing it with family-reunion reaction GIFs and “paperwork karma” jokes. Some argued Seamus should fly home and fix things with his daughters; others said marriage and a pending green card don’t erase past warrants. Verdict from the crowd? This saga’s a messy mix of family drama and immigration firestorm.
Key Points
- •Seamus Culleton has been detained by ICE since September 2025 after being arrested last September.
- •He entered the U.S. in 2009 on a tourist visa and overstayed beyond the permitted 90 days.
- •Culleton missed an Irish court appearance on drug-related charges after leaving for the U.S., leading to an arrest warrant.
- •He is married to an American woman, was applying for a green card, and is currently held at a Texas detention center.
- •His daughter, Heather Morrissey, discussed their estrangement and said she hopes he is deported, expressing no sympathy for his situation.