Seamus Culleton, who thought he had secured his American dream by marrying an American citizen and obtaining a work permit, has found himself in a detention center in Texas after being detained by ICE agents in Boston. Five months prior, he was just one appointment away from receiving his green card when his hopes were dashed during a routine shopping trip. The abrupt nature of his detention has not only disrupted his immigration process but also left him in dire conditions, describing his imprisonment as akin to a 'modern-day concentration camp.'

Currently held at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, Culleton shares a tent with 70 other detainees, enduring unsanitary and stressful conditions that have exacerbated his isolation. The photographs accompanying his wife's memories represent the joy of their life together, now overshadowed by his unexpected confinement. The striking contrast between the dreams they built together and the grim reality he faces in detention has left both him and his wife, Tiffany Smyth, shattered.

Culleton’s story underscores the harsh implications of stringent immigration enforcement policies under the Trump administration, which have attracted much criticism for their treatment of detained individuals. It reflects a broader issue of how many immigrants, despite following legal channels and holding valid permits, can find themselves unjustly caught in the vise of aggressive immigration crackdowns, leading to personal and emotional upheaval for them and their families. His plight raises important questions about the balance between national security and human rights for immigrants in America.