Federal Court Asked to Free Green Card Holder Held by ICE for More than a Year

Contact:

• Ed Yohnka, ACLU of Illinois, eyohnka@aclu-il.org, 847-687-1129
• Eric King, ACLU of Kentucky, eking@aclu-ky.org

COVINGTON, KENTUCKY – A Chicago area woman – a lawful permanent resident – who has lived in the United States for nearly three decades is asking a federal court judge to step in and release her from ICE custody in the Campbell County Detention Center in Kentucky more than a year after she was taken from her family. Beata Siemionkowicz, a native and citizen of Poland, has been held since August 2025 – when she was taken into custody at her daughter’s home. Lawyers for the ACLU of Kentucky and the ACLU of Illinois are asking the federal court to order her immediate release or compel the government to demonstrate that she should be detained.

Ms. Siemionkowicz’s plight has drawn attention from the media and from the office of U.S. Senator Richard Durbin owing to the dogged advocacy of her daughters, Gabi and Claudia.

“Our mom came to the United States seeking a better life and hoping to enjoy the full benefits of American freedom,” said Gabi and Claudia Siemionkowicz, Beata’s daughters, in a statement accompanying the filing. “The time since August 2nd of last year has been a nightmare for us. We have been emotionally drained to old together her dream – including keeping her home – as she is being held in a cell hundreds of miles away from us each day. We hope this is a step in getting her back to the family that loves her.”

“This case exemplifies the Trump Administration’s blind recklessness to detain thousands of people who pose no threat to public safety,” said Hirsh Joshi, Staff Attorney at the ACLU of Illinois. “Our client is a hard-working mother, someone who has cared for hospice patients. Her detention serves no purpose other than cruelty.”

Ms. Siemionkowicz is a green card holder who has lived continuously in the United States since 1995. A single mother of two U.S. citizen daughters, Siemionkowicz has worked for many years as a caregiver to provide for her family. Years ago, she was charged with two separate misdemeanors related to retail theft, matters that were resolved with court supervision and a conditional charge. She has not been charged with any crimes in more than 15 years, and she has never been charged or convicted of a violent crime.

Yet after Ms. Siemionkowicz 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 Ms. Siemionkowicz to prove she was not a risk to public safety, relieving the government from its traditional role of having to demonstrate that she should be detained. As a result, Ms. Siemionkowicz has been held for more than a year.

“We are asking the federal court to restore normal procedure and require the government to show that our client should be detained – not place that burden on her,” added Bethany Baxter, ACLU of Kentucky Staff Attorney. “Our constitutional system – and the protections it demands – make clear that the burden for explaining an oppressive, destructive, on-going detention is on the government, not the individual the government wants to punish.”

In the filing today, the lawyers ask the federal court to order Ms. Siemionkowicz’s immediate release or order a rehearing before an impartial immigration judge in which the government would be forced to justify her continued detention.

A copy of the filing can be found here.