A Northern Irish immigrant deported from the U.S. claims he was targeted by ICE for ‘looking Mexican’.
Lee Stinton, 45, a hairdresser from Lisburn, about 9 miles southwest of Belfast, had been residing in Florida when he was allegedly arrested on the street and repatriated to Britain due to his apparent resemblance to a Mexican.
Despite his beard and unique style, Stinton claimed that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer stopped him on his commute to work in Key West and remarked: ‘You look Mexican.’
Upon explaining that he hailed from Northern Ireland, the officer purportedly glanced at his phone screensaver featuring him and his partner, DeVaun Davis, and sneered: ‘He looks Haitian. This might be a two-for-one deal today.’
Stinton told The Belfast Telegraph that he was shackled and hauled away, describing the experience as being ‘kidnapped off of the street.’
He was transported to the Krome Detention Center near Miami, where he reports being held in a concrete cell intended for about ten people but overcrowded with more than one hundred men. He mentioned that both food and showers were scarce, and access to medical care was often denied.
Stinton’s immigration status in the United States was unclear, but The Daily Mail has reached out to ICE for comment.
Lee Stinton, 45, says he was shackled on a Florida street and deported after an ICE officer allegedly told him: ‘You look Mexican’
The Northern Irish hairdresser (not pictured) states he was squeezed into a jam-packed cell at the Krome Detention Center near Miami, where he alleges a fellow detainee died after being deprived of heart medication.
Throughout his detention, Stinton claimed he observed a man pleading for days for his heart medication before collapsing and succumbing to a heart attack in the presence of other detainees.
Stinton further alleged that medical procedures were carried out without his consent, including the removal of subdermal piercings while he was shackled to a bed.
The Telegraph reported that he was issued a blue detainee uniform indicating ‘low custody,’ but that British consular officials were not promptly notified of his detention.
The hairdresser stressed that he had never been in trouble with the law. ‘I never even had so much as a parking ticket. I have no criminal record. I have never done anything wrong. I was doing everything the U.S. government asked me,’ he said.
Despite this, he was deported to London with no onward travel arrangements and eventually arrived back in Northern Ireland on July 12.
Announcing the Telegraph piece on Instagram, Stinton wrote: ‘The wait is finally over. For the first time in a long time, I feel some heaviness beginning to lift from my shoulders. … I went through one of the most unjust and cruel experiences under President Trump’s regime, and it has changed me forever.’
He added that he hoped telling his story would help others: ‘My story will not only set the record straight, but also serve as a light for anyone experiencing similar and walking through their own darkness. Please know you are believed and you are not alone.’
His claims come as ICE has promoted major enforcement operations in Florida.
Stinton, pictured, said he had no criminal record and likened his detention to being ‘kidnapped off the street’
In May, the agency announced that more than 1,100 arrests had been made in a single week, emphasizing a focus on criminal offenses.
Stinton’s account, however, paints a grim picture of collateral arrests and harsh conditions inside U.S. detention centers.
Now back in Lisburn, he says he is undergoing therapy for post-traumatic stress and has returned to hairdressing part-time while trying to rebuild his life.
Daily Mail has reached out to Stinton for comment, as well as ICE.
