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By Mandy Taheri
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Beata Siemionkowicz, a Polish-born green card holder who has lived in the United States for decades, has spent nearly a year in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention in Kentucky over old shoplifting convictions and allegations that she “forged documents to obtain immigration benefits,” a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson told Newsweek.
Siemionkowicz has been a green card holder since 2003 and has spent most of her adult life in the U.S. with her daughters, Claudia, 25, and Gabi, 21. Her daughters told Newsweek Wednesday that their mother "was unlawfully detained."
Donna Hughes-Brown, who was held at the same Kentucky detention facility as Siemionkowicz last year, told Newsweek that Siemionkowicz had already gone to court over the decades-old charges but “ICE had determined that it constitutes moral turpitude.” Under U.S. immigration law, certain offenses may be classified as crimes involving moral turpitude, a category that often includes crimes involving fraud, theft or dishonest conduct and can lead to deportation or other immigration penalties.
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President Donald Trump has pledged to launch the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history, and immigrants residing in the country both illegally and legally, with valid documentation such as green cards and visas, have been detained. Newsweek has reported dozens of cases involving green card holders and applicants who were swept up in the immigration raids and various arrests.
A DHS spokesperson told Newsweek, “Possessing a green card is a privilege, not a right. Under our nation’s laws, our government has the authority to revoke a green card if our laws are broken and abused.”
Newsweek reached out to Siemionkowicz's attorney for comment via email on Tuesday.
What To Know
Siemionkowicz was arrested on August 2, 2025, in Des Plaines, Illinois, while gardening at her daughter Claudia’s home, her daughters told Newsweek. "ICE is using two petty misdemeanors [on] our mother's record, from over 20 years ago, as grounds for her detainment," they said.
After two days at the Broadview facility outside of Chicago, Siemionkowicz was transported to Campbell County Detention Center in Newport, Kentucky, where she has been held for nearly a year.
A DHS spokesperson told Newsweek that Siemionkowicz is a “criminal alien from Poland with multiple prior arrests for shoplifting.”
The statement continued, “She lawfully entered the United States on November 18, 1995. In violation of our nation’s laws, she overstayed her lawful admission by failing to depart on or before February 16, 1996. She was granted a green card in January 2003.”
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Her daughters told Newsweek that Siemionkowicz has renewed her green card on time since obtaining lawful permanent resident status in 2003. A copy of her green card reviewed by Newsweek shows it remains valid through November 8, 2026.
With regard to the DHS statement that their mother failed to depart in 1996, the daughters said, "this is simply not true. She was never supposed to be removed."
DHS said Siemionkowicz “forged documents to obtain immigration benefits” in 2001. The agency did not provide additional details when asked about the case but noted that Siemionkowicz had “been arrested twice in Illinois for retail theft: once in September 2005 and again in October 2011.”
A GoFundMe started by Siemionkowicz's daughters notes that “Beata and her family are aware of her two past minor theft charges, which she has owned up to,” adding that charges from 2001 and 2003 are of thefts that “equal less than $150.”
Newsweek could not independently verify which 2001 and 2003 charges the daughters were referring to. The Tribune reported she has a misdemeanor retail theft from stores Jewel and Kohl’s in 2005 and 2011.
“For decades, Siemionkowicz has made a mockery of our immigration system and our laws,” the DHS spokesperson said, adding that “on December 9, 2025, an immigration judge issued Siemionkowicz an order of removal. She will remain in ICE custody pending her removal.”
Her family has filed an appeal and is working with Democratic Senator Dick Durbin to help get her out of detention. "We currently do not have a set court date, we appealed her order of removal in January, and have been waiting ever since then to hear back from the BIA (The Board of Immigration Appeals)," they said.
Durbin’s office confirmed to Newsweek that they have been working with the family on the matter.
“Senator Durbin takes seriously his commitment to assist his constituents. Senator Durbin’s office has been in contact with the family and will continue to provide whatever assistance is possible,” a spokesperson told Newsweek.
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Hughes-Brown told Newsweek that DHS told Siemionkowicz there “were charges against her in Poland. But she has a letter from the Polish government stating there are no charges, nor have there ever been any charges against her in Poland.” Newsweek could not verify what charges DHS was referring to.
CBS News reported that documents provided by the family included a February 2025 certification from the Polish Embassy stating that Siemionkowicz does not appear in Poland's national criminal registry.
Siemionkowicz has worked as a commercial cleaner and hospice caregiver in the Round Lake area, and her daughters note in the GoFundMe that she was the sole provider for the household. The Tribune reported that one of her daughters, Gabi, has temporarily dropped out of nursing school at Oakton College to help pay for her mother’s expenses, including her mortgage, utilities and legal fees.
“We just know deep down in our hearts that our mom does not deserve to be removed from this country,” Claudia told The Tribune, adding, “She has two misdemeanors, yes, but those were resolved. We’re really still in ignorance about the whole thing; we can’t believe that this is happening.”
The daughters started an Instagram page called Bring Beata Home to raise awareness of their mother's case. They captioned a July 3 video showing them meeting with various congressional leaders and advocating on their mother's behalf: "When it comes to our case, @dhsgov has failed to show ANY REAL PROOF as to why our mother has been in detention for the last 11 months."
Reported Conditions at Campbell County Detention Center
“We were there with women that were in for attempted murder charges. We were in with folks that had a lot of drug-related charges, a lot of domestic violence, a lot of hardcore criminal activities that basically ran the gamut, you name it,” Hughes-Brown told Newsweek about CCDC, where she and Siemionkowicz were held. The facility houses county, state, and federal inmates, according to its website.
Hughes-Brown, an Irish national and longtime green card holder, was released after 143 days in detention. DHS said she was detained because of two misdemeanors from 2015, which her husband said had been dealt with at the time. Under the Trump administration, such records have been reason to detain individuals at ports of entry, regardless of legal status.
“I had a bad check, an NSF [non-sufficient funds] charge in 2012 for $25 that was going through a grocery store,” she explained to Newsweek. She left the facility in December.
She said she was housed in an open dormitory-style unit with about 70 women, where only the shower and toilet area was separated by a wall. “There were feces in DS6 where Beata and I were first put. There was feces for some reason up above and blood and up above the doorway, the entryway,” she said.
Hughes-Brown continued, “Then the vents are covered like black mold all around all of the HVAC vents and the air return vents have black mold around them.” She noted that showers and toilets would be out of service for weeks at a time and women had very limited access to hygiene products and medical services.
Zachary Smith, lieutenant colonel at CCDC, told Newsweek in an August statement, "The Detention Center cannot confirm that either individual has been or is currently being detained within this facility," in reference to Hughes-Browns and Siemionkowicz.
He added, "the allegations made are wholly without merit. Campbell County works diligently to maintain compliance with the Kentucky Revised Statutes and relevant regulations applicable to local detention facilities."
Smith said, "There is no evidence that detainees have been served 'animal byproducts not meant for human consumption.'"
On housing, Smith said, "Immigration detainees may be housed within the same correctional facility or housing unit as individuals facing criminal charges, but this does not mean they are indiscriminately mixed with persons charged with murder or other serious violent offenses. Housing decisions are made according to classification and security requirements, with the safety of everyone in the facility as the primary consideration."
In a previous comment related to a different story about conditions in ICE facilities, an ICE spokesperson told Newsweek on July 23, "It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. This is the best healthcare than many aliens have received in their entire lives."
Green Card Holders Detained
An estimated 12.8 million lawful permanent residents, commonly known as green card holders, live in the U.S. While green card holders have legal authorization to live and work in the country, they can still face detention and removal proceedings under certain circumstances, including some criminal convictions or alleged immigration violations.
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Newsweek has reported on several recent cases involving green card holders detained by ICE, including Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate who was held for roughly three months before being released, Salah Sarsour, a Wisconsin imam who was detained over allegations related to his decades-old immigration paperwork and later released, and Dayton Andre Lindsay, a Jamaican citizen and longtime U.S. resident who remains in immigration custody while fighting removal proceedings, among others.
Federal data does not provide a public estimate of how many green card holders have been detained under Trump's second administration. However, immigration attorneys and advocacy groups have reported an increase in cases involving lawful permanent residents, particularly those with prior criminal convictions or alleged immigration violations. The DHS has argued that immigration enforcement actions are targeting individuals with criminal histories or immigration violations, stating “the worst of the worst” are being detained.
The Trump administration has deported more than 590,600 since January 2025, according to the administration's figures.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon, Gray R. Thomas, Sam Wilson.
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