CHICAGO/MISSOURI – Donna Hughes-Brown, a 59-year-old Irish woman and long-term US legal resident, has been released after being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for nearly five months. Mrs. Hughes-Brown, who has lived in the US since she was 11, was detained in July 2025 upon returning from a funeral in Ireland.
The detention stemmed from a decade-old incident involving two bounced checks totaling less than $80. Although she had long ago made restitution for the checks, the offenses were flagged under the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a recent amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act. The policy allows the government to deem foreign-born residents “inadmissible” if they have violated any law within the last 20 years.
Deplorable Conditions During her time at the Campbell County Detention Centre in Kentucky, Ms. Hughes-Brown described “horrific” conditions. She reported:
- Lack of basic necessities like toilet paper.
- Broken plumbing (showers and toilets) that remained unrepaired for weeks.
- Inadequate food that ignored her medical allergies.
- Being housed with individuals charged with violent crimes.
A Family Reunited The case gained national attention after her husband, Jim Brown—a US Navy combat veteran—and Representative Seth Magaziner advocated for her release. While she is “fortunate” not to be deported, Ms. Hughes-Brown stated she would not risk traveling back to Ireland until she completes her naturalization to become a US citizen.
