Irish Tourist Detained For 100 Days By ICE After Overstaying Visa For Three Days: 'Didn't See The Sky For Weeks'

An Irish tourist who overstayed his visa three days as a result of a health issue was prevented from leaving the country by ICE and detained for roughly 100 days.

The man, who identified himself as Thomas, told The Guardian he traveled to West Virginia to visit his girlfriend last fall. He intended to return to Ireland in December but was advised not to travel for eight to 12 weeks after severe tearing his calif due to the risk of blood clots.

Thomas said he obtained paperwork from the physician and contacted the embassy and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to seek an extension, but did not hear back. "I thought they would understand because I had the correct paperwork. It was just a couple of days for medical reasons," he said.

However that was not the case. He suffered a mental health episode that drew authorities to a hotel room in which he was staying with his girlfriend, and he was taken to jail after being accused of "falsely imprisoning" her. He was released on bond, but was then picked up by ICE and taken to a processing center in Georgia.

Thomas was given a removal older and signed a form agreeing to be removed. However, that was not the case. A fight soon broke out at the facility, all detainees were placed on lockdown for five days and kept there.

After 50 days he was taken to another facility in Atlanta. There, he and other detainees were placed in an area with dirty mattresses, cockroaches and mice. Some bunkbeds didn't have ladders, forcing people to climb, he added. The jumpsuit he was given had holes and what appeared to be bloodstains. Moreover, he was often freezing and only had a thing blanket, while the food was "disgusting slop" and kept him frequently hungry.

"The staff didn't know why we were there and they were treating us exactly as they would treat BoP prisoners, and they told us that," Thomas claimed. "We were treated less than human."

"I heard people crying for doctors, saying they couldn't breathe, and staff would just say, 'Well, I'm not a doctor,' and walk away." Thomas was eventually released. He said he's not sure whether he will be allowed to return to the U.S., where he frequently traveled for work. His girlfriend is now planning to move to Ireland to live with him.

"I'll never forget it, and it'll be a long time before I'll be able to even start to unpack everything I went through. It still doesn't feel real. When I think about it, it's like a movie I'm watching," Thomas concluded.

Several such cases have made headlines over since the beginning of the Trump administration. A high-profile one involved Canadian actress Jasmine Mooney, who was detained over an incomplete visa in March.

Earlier this month, a woman denounced being chained to a chair for hours after being denied entry to the U.S. at an airport. The woman, identified as Jane and who requested anonymity to tell her story, came from Switzerland for a trip meant to celebrate having beaten cancer.

Officials said it was because they suspected she planned to work in the U.S., something not allowed by her Visa Waiver Program. he program, available to nationals from 42 countries, allows travel without a visa but requires travelers to forfeit the right to challenge deportation.

"The way I felt, I smelled, I looked — dehumanizing," Jane told Nexstar's WPIX. "They treat us worse than animals." She went on to detail that she was held for 13 hours in a New Jersey Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility and deported without being charged or given access to legal counsel.

Jane added that she was questioned by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, who searched her belongings, devices, and financial records. She was taken to the Elizabeth Detention Center, a privately operated facility

She described the facility as cold, windowless, and overcrowded. Her account included a lack of basic hygiene products, such as sanitary napkins, and limited access to medical care.