A woman who has had a green card in the US for over two decades has been held in a Kentucky jail for nearly a year after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested her.
Polish single mother Beata Siemionkowicz was detained by ICE agents and placed in the Campbell County Detention Center on August 4, 2025.
According to a former cellmate’s account to the Chicago Tribune, Siemionkowicz spent her first night in a shared pod with 60 women, that had black mold covering its air vents, dead bedbugs, and a blood smeared doorway.
Nearly a year later, her family continues to speak out for her freedom with the help of Donna Hughes-Brown, an Irish citizen who was incarcerated with Siemionkowicz.
‘Beata did all the paperwork right; she even applied for naturalization,’ said Hughes-Brown.
Siemionkowicz’s family claimed to have records showing she entered the United State legally from Poland in 1995. She has also been a permanent resident with a green card since 2003.
The mom worked in Round Lake, Illinois, as a commercial cleaner and hospice caregiver.
On August 2, 2025, she was arrested by two masked ICE agents, reportedly in civilian clothes, who detained Siemionkowicz while she was gardening in her daughter’s backyard.
Beata Siemionkowicz, a green card holder for over two decades was detained by ICE agents and placed in the Campell County Detention Center August 4, 2025
According to a former cellmate’s account, Siemionkowicz spent her first night in a shared pod with 60 women, that had black mold covering its air vents, dead bedbugs, and a blood smeared doorway
Siemionkowicz’s family claimed to have records showing she entered the United State legally from Poland in 1995. She has been a permanent resident with a green card since 2003
Agents arrested Siemionkowicz for her criminal record of misdemeanor retail theft from Jewel in 2005 and Kohl’s in 2011.
On top of this, the agency claims she forged documents to obtain immigration benefits in 2001, before her green card status.
According to Lake County court records, Siemionkowicz resolved these charges through paid fines and a period of probation.
Her daughters Gabi, 21, and Claudia, 25, were aware of their mom’s criminal history and said Siemionkowicz stole clothes for them as kids after her divorce.
In a GoFundMe posted by Gabi, she wrote that the thefts together added up to less than $150.
In a statement to the Tribune, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said: ‘Siemionkowicz has made a mockery of our immigration system and our laws.’
In this, the DHS spokesperson said a green card is a ‘privilege’ and not a right.
On August 2, 2025, Siemionkowicz was arrested by two masked ICE agents, reportedly in civilian clothes, who detained Siemionkowicz for her criminal record of misdemeanor retail theft from Jewel in 2005 and Kohl’s in 2011
‘Under our nation’s laws, our government has the authority to revoke a green card if our laws are broken and abused.’
Hughes-Brown’s situation is very similar to Siemionkowicz.
She was also arrested by ICE for a misdemeanor crime committed more than a decade ago and holds valid legal status.
However, Hughes-Brown is no longer in ICE custody.
After being held for 143 days, she was released in December after her husband appeared at a hearing in Washington DC with 30 character witnesses and a letter of support signed by 18 US senators.
A federal judge ordered her no longer deportable.
‘My case is done, I’m out,’ Hughes-Brown said.
‘My mission is not done — speaking out for Beata and her case, speaking out for Jamie and the hundreds of other detainees that shouldn’t be detained because there’s no process to get here.’
According to court records, an immigration judge ordered Siemionkowicz’s deportation on December 9, 2025, despite her status as a green card holder.
Her family filed an appeal, fighting to keep their mother in the US
Currently, Siemionkowicz remains in ICE custody pending her removal, according to the DHS spokesperson.
Gabi and Claudia are working with Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin to get their mom out of ICE detention.
Siemionkowicz’s daughters, Claudia, 25, and Gabi, 21, continue to speak out nearly a year later in hopes of getting their mother released. They have received the support of Senator Dick Durbin as they work towards keeping their mom on U.S. soil
‘Senator Durbin’s office has been in contact with the family and will continue to provide whatever assistance is possible,’ a spokesperson from Durbin’s office said in a statement to the Tribune.
Along with this, they are working with the same lawyer involved in Hughes-Brown’s case.
Gabi has temporarily dropped out of nursing school at Oakton College to pay for Siemionkowicz’s mortgage, utilities and legal fees.
The sisters said all the sacrifice will be worth it to see their mom again.
‘We just know deep down in our hearts that our mom does not deserve to be removed from this country,’ Claudia said.
The Daily Mail reached out to the DHS and Campbell County Detention Center for comment.
