The twin daughters of an Irishman detained in a Texas immigration facility have harshly criticized their father for his absence in their lives, arguing he should be extradited to Ireland to face pending drug charges. This development comes after Seamus Culleton, their father, made a public appeal on RTÉ radio for Irish intervention to facilitate his return to his wife and life in Boston, according to a report by the Daily Mail.
Heather and Melissa Morrissey, who are on the brink of turning 19, decided to break their silence, stating that Culleton deserted them when they were just 18 months old. Their mother, Margaret “Maggie” Morrissey, has raised them single-handedly since then.
“I feel that we were born and he just up and left. He did abandon us. That’s what he did,” Heather expressed to the outlet, referring to her father, who reportedly overstayed his 90-day tourist visa over 15 years ago, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The sisters revealed that they have never received any financial support from Culleton and have not seen him since he relocated to the United States.
Furthermore, they criticized their father for being naive in publicly addressing his immigration issues while having unresolved drug charges in Ireland.
They also said Culleton was naive to come forward about his immigration case with the outstanding drug charges against him.
The alleged deadbeat dad was hit with several charges in Ireland in 2008 for intent to sell or supply, possession of drugs for personal consumption, and obstructing a garda, or a police officer, in the course of their duty, the outlet reported.
A district court in New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland, later sought a bench warrant after Culleton failed to appear in court, though it was never issued because he had already left the country, according to the publication.
“He was making himself out to be a saint, like he’s done nothing wrong, like he knows that there are warrants here for his arrest and that was going to come out,” Heather added.
The twins said they were stunned to hear their father’s voice when he called into RTÉ radio, describing the “torture” he’s experienced after being locked up at a Fort Bliss Army base in Texas.
Heather noted that Culleton contacted her briefly after his detention, but only after she asked a relative to prompt him to call.
“He told me that he got detained by ICE… he doesn’t know when he’s going to get out. That was about it. I haven’t heard from him since then,” she said.
The sisters also expressed anger over a GoFundMe campaign that has raised nearly $30,000 for Culleton’s legal fees, with Melissa calling it “nearly child maintenance money.”
They also said they were hurt by comments from Culleton’s wife, Tiffany Smyth, on TikTok that she wanted her husband to return to their Boston home to take care of their “babies” in reference to their dogs.
“They’re dogs. I understand people love animals and all that, but he has children. His dogs aren’t his children,” said Heather.
The Post has been unable to locate the TikToks described in the report, though the GoFundMe for Culleton referenced the pair’s dogs, “Caesar & Cleopatra.”
Culleton told Irish media that he had a valid US work permit and a pending green card application when he was nabbed by agents after stopping at a Home Depot.
He was cuffed and eventually flown more than 2,000 miles from home to a camp facility in Texas, where he alleged he’s been locked in the same “filthy” room.
In a statement on X, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Culleton “received full due process and was issued a final deportation order from a federal judge.”
“On September 9, 2025, ICE arrested Seamus Culleton, an illegal alien from Ireland. He entered the United States in 2009 under the visa waiver program, which allows you to stay in the U.S. for 90 days without a visa,” McLaughin said.
“He failed to depart the U.S. He received full due process and was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge on September 10, 2025. He was offered the chance to instantly be removed to Ireland but chose to stay in ICE custody, in fact he took affirmative steps to remain in detention.”
As his case made its way through the immigration courts, Culleton claims he has been forced to endure torturous conditions that have left him fearing for his life.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen on a day-to-day basis. You don’t know if there’s going to be riots, you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Culleton said, adding that he has been locked in the same room for months.
“I have barely any outside time, no fresh air, no sunshine. We have two TVs on the wall, there are 72 detainees here in total. We get three meals a day, very very small meals – kid size meals, so everybody is hungry,” he said, adding that the “completely nasty” bathrooms are “very rarely cleaned.”
Politicians in the detained man’s native Ireland have vowed to complain to the White House about his case.
