A fundraiser for an Irish grandmother living legally in the US for almost 50 years but who is now being held in an immigration detention camp there has reached almost 90% of its goal.
Donna Hughes-Brown, 58, was arrested after she landed in Chicago on a flight from Dublin after attending a funeral in Ireland and visiting relatives in Cork and Drogheda in July.
Mrs Hughes-Brown organises food boxes for needy people in her local community and volunteers to help families stricken by major hurricanes.
Mrs Hughes Brown was arrested on July 29 after flying into Chicago from Ireland and is now being held in isolation in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centre in Kentucky.
ICE is the now hugely controversial US immigration agency.
Her ‘crime’ was a bad cheque she signed for just $25 (€23) in 2015 and for which she reportedly made full restitution.
The historic minor misdemeanour now threatens to trigger her deportation.
The Irish citizen moved to the US with her family as a child. She has been a legal resident of the US since, holding multiple green cards.
She is married to US Navy veteran Jim Brown who she runs a horse farm with in Troy, Missouri.
Mr Brown has been campaigning for his wife’s release.
Some 88% of a $6,500 (€5,552) goal on Gofundme was raised in 16 days to help the family with legal costs, with a top donation of $500 (€427).
Fundraiser organiser, Diana Buretta, described the couple as “very strong community helpers”.
“They are often involved with multiple volunteer organizations and projects.
They both are hardworking, honest, and caring individuals […] humble people who are always willing to help, and kind friends.
The couple has been married for eight years now and they both have worked hard to grow their farm, Ms Buretta wrote on the fundraising page.
“This Gofundme is being created to help prepare and support Jim Brown’s fight for justice and freedom of his wife, Donna Hughes-Brown, who was wrongly detained and incarcerated this past July. The goal is to raise the resources necessary to cover the lawyers and court fees, and help Jim and Donna navigate these difficult, stressful , and expensive times,” she wrote.
Mrs Hughes-Brown’s arrest and detention is a direct result of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies, Mr Brown told local Missouri TV network KMOV.
They signed a stupid bill that is torturing innocent people, and that’s the problem.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance.
The Immigration and Nationality Act under which Ms Hughes-Brown was detained under was amended by president Donald Trump on the Fourth of July as part of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”.
Under the new law, any foreign-born resident of the United States who has violated any law over the previous 20 years can be barred from entry to the US.
It came into effect on July 24.
The Irish grandmother and charity volunteer has described conditions in the immigration detention camp as “deplorable,” as reported by The Irish Times.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that it is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance.
“As with all consular cases, the Department does not comment on the details of individual cases,” it said.