Polish Mother Held by ICE for 51 Weeks Despite Green Card Since 2003

Beata Siemionkowicz, a Polish-born lawful permanent resident, has spent 51 weeks in U.S. immigration custody at the Campbell County Detention Center in northern Kentucky, after her arrest on Aug. 2, 2025, in Des Plaines, Illinois.

According to reporting by the Chicago Tribune, Siemionkowicz was detained by two masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in plain clothes while gardening in her daughter's backyard. She was transferred to the Kentucky facility on Aug. 4, 2025, and remains in custody.

Her family and former cellmates describe harsh conditions at the detention center. A former cellmate told the Tribune that Siemionkowicz's first night was spent in a housing pod with about 60 other women, where black mold covered vents, dead bedbugs were visible in corners, and blood had been smeared above a doorway.

Siemionkowicz legally entered the United States in 1995 after moving from Bialystok, Poland, and became a lawful permanent resident in 2003. A divorced mother of two, she worked as a commercial cleaner and later as a hospice caregiver while living in Round Lake, Illinois.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says the basis for detention includes misdemeanor retail-theft convictions at a Jewel store in September 2005 and at a Kohl’s in October 2011, and an allegation that she forged documents in 2001 to obtain immigration benefits. DHS provided statements to the Tribune and Newsweek outlining those claims.

DHS Statement: "Siemionkowicz has made a mockery of our immigration system and our laws. 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."

Siemionkowicz's daughters, Claudia and Gabi, say the retail-theft cases were resolved years ago through fines and a period of supervised release; family-cited Lake County court records support that account. They say the incidents involved taking children's clothing during a difficult financial period after their mother's divorce.

Family Statement: "We just know deep down in our hearts that our mom does not deserve to be removed from this country," Claudia told the Tribune. "She has two misdemeanors, yes, but those were resolved."

An immigration judge ordered Siemionkowicz deported on Dec. 9, 2025; her family has appealed and DHS confirmed she will remain in custody pending removal proceedings. The family is working with the office of Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, which says it has been in contact and will continue to assist. They have also retained the attorney who successfully won the release of Donna Hughes Brown, an Irish green-card holder who was held at the same Kentucky facility for 143 days before a federal judge found she was not deportable.

This case comes amid a broader rise in detention under President Donald Trump's expanded immigration enforcement. CBS News reported ICE booked more than 43,000 people into detention in June 2025—the administration's highest monthly total—and held 65,765 people as of July 11, 2025. Agency data cited by the Tribune and CBS showed roughly 29% of those detained had criminal convictions and 31% had pending criminal charges. The Tribune also noted Siemionkowicz was one of 33 Polish nationals booked into a Chicago-area ICE facility, with 19 arrests linked to an operation called "Operation Midway Blitz."

Siemionkowicz's supporters emphasize her long residence in the United States, her caregiving work, and the family's ongoing appeal. The case highlights tensions over how longstanding immigration status, minor criminal convictions and historical allegations intersect with current enforcement priorities.