Irish woman in the US Cliona Ward
Irish woman Cliona Ward who was detained in the United States at an Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centre is due to be released.
Ms Ward’s family confirmed that she is due to be released after a court appearance.
Ms Ward’s sister Tracey told RTÉ’s Prime Time that the family have been told she will be released later today. Ms Ward, a resident of California and holder of a green card which entitles her to permanently reside in the US, was detained on April 21 after visiting her father in Ireland.
Speaking to RTÉ, Tracey said it was a “huge, huge relief” that her sister is set to be released.
“I was trying to maintain hope today but I know how the system works over there so I was very fearful for her. I’m just completely relieved,” she said.
“The outpouring of love worldwide that we’ve received has been absolutely unbelievable.”
Family, friends and colleagues were set to gather in solidarity outside the detention centre in Washington state before the hearing today.
Cliona, who has lived legally in America for decades, is originally from Dublin but lives in Santa Cruz, California.
She is being detained by ICE over minor convictions from almost 20 years ago, which were supposed to have been expunged from her record.
Her sister Tracey previously said that they feared it might be as late as August before she could stand before a judge.
She had six convictions, including two felonies for possession of drugs and four misdemeanours for minor offences, and one for “failure to notify DMV [Department of Motor Vehicles] of address change within 10 days”.
However, the convictions were expunged as she pleaded guilty to the charges.
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