Overview
- Cliona Ward, a 54-year-old Irish citizen and U.S. green card holder, was detained on April 21 at San Francisco International Airport over expunged 2007–08 convictions.
- Ward spent 17 days in an ICE detention facility in Tacoma, Washington, before her release on May 7 following a federal judge's dismissal of her deportation case.
- The case drew significant public and political attention, with Congressman Jimmy Panetta and Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheál Martin advocating for her release.
- Ward, a long-term U.S. resident, has lived in Santa Cruz for 30 years, working, paying taxes, and caring for her chronically ill U.S. citizen son, with no new offenses since her expunged convictions.
- Her detention highlights the conflict between federal immigration enforcement and state-level expungements, as well as broader concerns about due process under expanded deportation policies.