ICE Detains Polish Green-Card Holder Over Decades-Old Shoplifting Convictions

Beata Siemionkowicz, a Polish-born lawful permanent resident since 2003, is being held at the Campbell County Detention Center in Newport, Kentucky. She is scheduled for arrest on August 2, 2025 in Des Plaines, Illinois and has remained in ICE custody for almost a year. On December 9, 2025, an immigration judge issued an order of removal, and she will stay in detention pending that order.

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U.S. immigration law classifies certain offenses as crimes involving moral turpitude, which can trigger removal. The family’s GoFundMe notes the thefts involved amounts “less than $150.” A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson added that she overstayed her lawful admission after entering on November 18, 1995, failing to depart by February 16, 1996.

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Siemionkowicz’s daughters, Claudia and Gabi, launched a GoFundMe and an Instagram page “Bring Beata Home.” They posted a July 3 video of meetings with congressional staff, accusing DHS of providing no proof for the detention. Claudia expressed the family’s sentiment:

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• “We just know deep down in our hearts that our mom does not deserve to be removed from this country,” — Claudia

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Former detainee Donna Hughes-Brown described the Campbell County facility as overcrowded, with unsanitary conditions, black-mold-covered vents, and limited hygiene supplies. She recounted the environment:

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• “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,” — Donna Hughes-Brown

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Approximately 12.8 million lawful permanent residents live in the United States, yet they remain vulnerable to detention and removal when criminal convictions or alleged immigration violations arise. Newsweek has documented several recent cases of green-card holders detained under similar circumstances, reflecting a reported increase in such actions during the Trump administration, which claimed to have deported more than 590,600 individuals since January 2025.

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