Half-lies shaped the story of Seamus Culleton

Lies serve few. There are exceptions, white lies said out of kindness: “No, of course you do not look fat, honey." Moral lies told in service of a greater good: “No, officer, I have not seen Michael Collins in years…” 

But then there are the tribal lies, told to defend your political, social or football side: “That’s a wide ball, ref." 

And then there are the half-lies: truths varnished with selective facts to make a cleaner, more compelling story such as “Seamus Culleton is an innocent man, victimised by ICE”.

The problem with half-lies is that they poison the underlying truth for many listeners and lose adherents to campaigns against injustice who no longer know what to believe.

Seamus Culleton’s case has made headlines in America, showcasing what many describe as cruel and inhumane ICE raids, detention and deportation. Jim Acosta is but one of many media commentators to highlight Culleton’s case while he “delivers the unvarnished truth about what’s happening in Washington and beyond”.

Acosta is an experienced CNN journalist who spent decades as Chief White House Correspondent, covering five presidential administrations and asking tough questions others would not. He is remembered for confronting Donald Trump during his first term, prompting Trump to describe him as “one of the worst and most dishonest reporters in journalistic history, a major sleazebag…” On the plus side, it’s a unique profile bio on Facebook.

According to Acosta: “An Irish citizen named Seamus Culleton has been detained by ICE for five months despite having a valid work permit and no criminal record. In a shocking interview with Irish radio RTÉ, he describes conditions inside as a ‘modern day concentration camp’ where detainees are starving, guards have killed people and he fears for his life. This is happening in America. Right now. To legal immigrants.

“Seamus described being locked in the same room for over four months with minimal outdoor time, inadequate food that leaves everyone hungry, filthy conditions and a constant threat of violence from both guards and other detainees. 

“People have been killed by the security staff,” he says.” 

Acosta then asks us: “Democracy depends on an informed citizenry. Join our community of truth-seekers fighting for facts over fiction.” 

But truth-seeking leads us to asking uncomfortable questions of ourselves.

Back in July of last year, I wrote about another Irishman named 'Thomas' who was similarly seized and detained by ICE, but whose narrative was shaped by parts of the media to suit an anti-administration agenda, overlooking gaping holes in Thomas’s victim story. This is NOT to say that the ICE campaign has not caused fear and upset throughout migrant communities in the USA. A friend of mine, born in the United States to Peruvian parents, became so petrified of even walking her dog without her US passport that she asked me for help to emigrate to Spain, which she did and is now happily living there. Yet, many of her friends cannot follow her.

But not all ICE detainees are the same and the countless horror stories of Hispanic immigrants seized by ICE, for example, are diluted by half-truths told about white-skinned Irish people’s encounters with border control.

Because the thing is: I can’t fully believe Seamus. And I wish I could.

In law, the best way to defend oneself against the confession of a fellow conspirator turned “state’s evidence” in return for a plea deal is to attack her credibility. If she has lied before, why believe her now simply because she is attempting to save herself? This is also increasingly true in the court of public opinion, where all sides twist the narrative to suit their ends.

It has now emerged that claims by his lawyer that Seamus Culleton was “a model immigrant with no criminal record” omitted several details. The County Kilkenny native had gone to the United States in March 2009 after having been arrested for the possession and supply of drugs, during which he allegedly obstructed a Garda officer. When he failed to appear for his April court case at New Ross, a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Culleton never returned to Ireland, overstaying his 90-day limit under the visa-waiver programme. His lawyer, Ogor Winnie Okoye, claims he didn’t know of the case in Ireland and that “her client would not be aware of any warrant that happened after he came to the US”. Really? She said this.

She also claimed her client was “the perfect candidate” for the government to exercise favourable discretion on his behalf because he was neither a flight risk nor “a criminal of any sort". This flies in the face of the facts above, yet was repeated by US media outlets, including Acosta.

Okoye also incorrectly stated Culleton’s age as 42, later correcting it to 38, which matched Irish court records relating to his drug case. It has also now been revealed that he has been in custody for five months, not because of arbitrary ICE cruelty but because he actually chose to do so.

Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, said Culleton “received full due process” and was given the opportunity to leave the United States 

“He was offered the chance to instantly be removed to Ireland but chose to stay in ICE custody; in fact, he took affirmative steps to remain in detention.

"A pending Green Card application and work authorisation does not give someone legal status to be in our country,” she added. “Being in detention is a choice."

Seamus Culleton has lived for many years in Boston, running a small plastering business and recently married US citizen Tiffany Smyth, who clearly loves him. A drugs charge from 2009, even if true, does not make him a bad man or someone who deserves wanton cruelty in ICE detention. Many have done much worse and gone on to live long and fulfilling lives, enriching their families and communities.

However, his decision not to deport back to Ireland and contest his case from there appears to be a mistake. I know of a similar situation of an Irishman who also overstayed his visa, married a US citizen and was prevented from re-entering America after a visit home. He endured an extended period fighting his legal case for Green Card status from Ireland, with his wife dividing her time between him and her work in the US. It was far from easy, but eventually he secured his Green Card and was able to return. And this happened before Donald Trump was elected president in 2016.

It is possible for the media to report on the actions of ICE in a way that reflects the genuinely harsh and brutal methods used to remove illegal residents from the United States and the lack of empathy shown toward people who have made America their home while contributing positively to their communities. But when journalists fail to investigate properly, or choose only the facts that fit their preferred narrative, they hand the state an easy defence of “he has lied before, why believe him now simply because he is attempting to save himself?”.

Half-truths, omissions and convenient edits have shaped the story of Seamus Culleton and his own past choices have shaped it too. Many brown-skinned people from Central and South America do not have RTÉ, CNN or Jim Acosta to amplify their cases and they had and have, far fewer options.

White lies may soothe. Tribal lies may rally. But half-lies, especially when told in the name of justice, do something worse and are the most dangerous of all. They borrow the authority of truth while quietly corroding it. And when they are exposed, they do not merely damage one case, they weaken every legitimate claim that follows and make the truth easier to dismiss.