Siemionkowicz v. Daley

Alongside our colleagues at the ACLU of Kentucky, we represent Beata Siemionkowicz a Chicago area green card holder who has been detained by ICE without justification for more than a year. A native of Poland, Beata was arrested by ICE in August 2025 based on two misdemeanor retail theft charges from more than 15 years ago.

Our habeas corpus petition asks a federal court in Kentucky to order Beata’s immediate release or compel the government to demonstrate that she should be detained.

Beata has lived continuously in the United States since 1995. A single mother of two U.S. citizen daughters, Beata has worked for many years as a caregiver to provide for her family. She has never been charged or convicted of a violent crime.

Yet after Beata was taken into custody by ICE, a Memphis immigration judge denied her request for a bond, suggesting that she had not proved she was not a “flight risk.” Immigration law placed the burden on Beata to prove she was not a flight risk or risk to public safety, relieving the government from its traditional role of having to demonstrate that she should be detained.

We are seeking her immediate release.