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 south west of Belfast, had been living in Florida when he says he was arrested on the street and sent back to Britain for the apparent resemblance.
Despite his beard and distinctive style, Stinton alleged that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer stopped him on his way to work in Key West and told him: ‘You look Mexican.’
When he explained that he was from Northern Ireland, the officer allegedly looked at his phone screensaver showing him with 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 taken to the Krome Detention Center near Miami, where he claims he was held in a concrete cell designed for about ten people but packed with more than one hundred men. Food and showers were limited, he said, and medical care was routinely 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) claims he was crammed into an overcrowded cell at the Krome Detention Center near Miami, where he says a fellow detainee died after being denied heart medication
During his detention, Stinton claimed he witnessed a man beg for days for his heart medication before collapsing and dying of a heart attack in front 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.
