A British mother whose arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sparked outrage among liberals has been described by her ex-husband as a manipulator who faced the consequences of her actions.

James Mellen, the former husband of Lauren Jane Morris, shared his perspective with the Daily Mail, just over a week after the 38-year-old mother of three was detained in Spokane, Washington.

Originally from Burton-on-Trent, England, Morris moved to Montana at the age of 15 when her father, Steve, married an American woman named Kay.

Mellen explained to the Daily Mail that following the split between Steve and Kay, visa issues arose for Morris.

“Lauren was supposed to return with her father, but she didn’t,” he remarked. “I don’t think she realized she was here illegally, but once we discovered it, we married just two months later.”

Mellen emphasized his belief that their marriage was not solely for the purpose of securing a visa.

He continued: ‘We had our daughter already and wanted to be a family, but we knew we needed to get married.

‘I was working two minimum wage jobs just to live and get pay for her visa. But as soon as she got her visa left me.’ Mellen said, explaining his change of opinion on Morris after their marriage ended.

Mellen met Morris while at high school. They wed in 2007 after the birth of their first child, with Morris obtaining her permanent residency (green card) in 2009. 

The couple went on to have another child, but their marriage went off the rails amid Morris’s alleged cheating and they split in 2014.

Lauren Morris met her now-ex James Mellen in high school and they fell madly in love. They got married in October 2007, shortly after the birth of their first child. The family is seen in 2009

Lauren Jane Morris, seen in 2009, was born in Burton Upon Trent, a town in Staffordshire, England and moved to Montana with her father and stepmother when she was 15

Mellen then moved to Wyoming for work, while Morris remained in Montana to study. But Mellen claims that did not go as planned.  

‘I was giving her $600 a week to support our kids, which is way more than any court would make me pay,’ he said, but Morris was seemingly struggling as a single mom.

‘She told me it was difficult to maintain the kids and do her schooling.’ Mellen says Morris failed to take her studies seriously. 

Morris called him up and told him to come collect their two children, he said. Mellen quit his job that day, drove to Montana to get them and had custody of them for several years.

Morris eventually quit college, moved to Washington state and decided she wanted custody of their oldest child, her ex-husband said. Mellen granted her wish with the stipulation that she held down a job and got an apartment.

Things were good at first, but Mellen said Morris’s behavior became quickly concerning and Mellen was forced to seek custody again.

Morris demanded he let their child stay with her and when he refused, hit him with a retaliatory lawsuit, Mellen claimed. 

She sued Mellen and Casey Duncan, who served as her immigration co-sponsor, for immigration financial support in 2021.

Lauren Morris on her wedding day in October 2009. Her former husband said she dumped him as soon as she got her green card

Morris and Mellen share two children together, both of whom he has full custody of. She is pictured during her second pregnancy

She alleged the pair did not provide her any financial support, which she claimed she was legally entitled to under the visa agreement, the complaint said.

Morris alleged her highest annual income between 2014 and 2020 was her 2014 earnings of $9,883. Her lowest reported wage was $1,999 in 2020, the filing stated.

The case was dismissed with prejudice in October 2021, with Morris’s attorneys stating that she, Mellen and Duncan ‘amicably resolved this matter through negotiated resolution.’

Mellen told the Daily Mail that the agreement saw him pay Morris $25,000, but he got full custody of their children and a restraining order to keep her away.

Since then, Morris has been convicted of assault five times, as well as criminal trespassing and violating a restraining order, public records show.

These assaults voided her green card, the terms of which ban holders from committing any crimes, and ultimately led to her detention by ICE, federal government officials say.  

She gave birth to another child, a 16-month-old girl, with a new partner and has not seen the children she had with Mellen for many years, he says. 

When Mellen told his two children that their mother had been detained by ICE, their oldest was a ‘bummed’ but their second-born ‘didn’t care,’ he said.

‘If anyone deserves this, it would be her. Her conduct, the way she treated her two kids for all these years, I’ve just washed my hands of her,’ Mellen said.

Lauren Jane Morris, 38, was taken into custody by ICE agents outside the Spokane County Courthouse on February 11. Her family claims she was detained in front of her 16-month-old daughter (pictured together)

Morris’s family has hit out at her ICE detention, telling local TV station KING 5 that she is a lawful permanent resident whose daughter is an American citizen 

‘She has no respect for the law or for anything but herself. Everything she did was out of greed and for herself.’ 

He said he has ‘no sympathy’ for her situation and claims she knew that deportation could be the consequence of her breaking the law.

‘This is the bed she made for herself. She knew, from all the visa applications we did, that she wasn’t allowed to get in trouble or get felonies. She knew she would lose her [residency],’ he added. 

It’s hard for me to be sympathetic towards her. As a parent, I would do anything to help my kids, care for my kids, and you can’t do that from jail.’ 

Morris’s family has hit out at her ICE detention, telling local TV station KING 5 that she is a lawful permanent resident whose daughter is an American citizen. 

Her loved ones claimed she was apprehended in front of her toddler after leaving a probation meeting related to a since-rescinded restraining order.

ICE, however, disputes their narrative. ‘On February 11, ICE conducted a targeted vehicle stop and arrested Lauren Jane Morris, an illegal alien from the United Kingdom who has five assault convictions,’ a spokesperson told the Daily Mail.

‘Her most recent sentence of 24 months was ordered by the Spokane County Superior Court August 6, 2024. She will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

‘Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, if you break the law, you will face consequences.’ 

Morris is being held at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. An ICE spokesperson told the Daily Mail she will ‘remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings’

Morris is being held at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, detainee records showed. She has an immigration hearing in Tacoma next Thursday, February 26. 

Anti-ICE critics have also rushed to Morris’s defense. Local TV station KING 5 has been accused of playing down Morris’s lengthy criminal history. 

The Jason Rantz Show on Seattle Red radio criticized the outlet during its Friday morning broadcast, accusing it of framing stories in a way that favors detainees.

‘This is what they do. Perhaps, even with the details of five convictions, some would not support removal,’ Rantz told his listeners.

‘Perhaps the apparent fifth conviction is what turned the woman’s life around. But it’s very obviously pertinent information that KING 5 couldn’t be bothered to report.’