Daughter of man detained in the US says she has 'no sympathy whatsoever' for her father

The daughter of Seamus Culleton, the man who was been detained by ICE in the US since September 2025, has said she has "no sympathy whatsoever" for her father's plight.

Speaking on Lunchtime Live on Newstalk on Wednesday, Heather Morrissey opened up on her relationship with her and her estranged father and went so far as to say she hopes he is deported back to Ireland.

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Mr Culleton, a Kilkenny native, had entered the United States in 2009 on a tourist visa and never left following the allowed 90 days.

Mr Culleton was due to appear in court in Ireland a month after he fled for the US on drug related charges but never showed. A warrant for his arrest was subsequently issued by the judge.

Now more than 20 years later, Mr Culleton is married to an American woman and was in the process of applying for a green card to remain permanently in the US, but was arrested by ICE last September and is currently been detained at a detention centre in Texas.

Ms Morrissey said here and her twin sister Melissa had first made contact with their father when they were 12 years of age and that he abandoned them when he left for the US.

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Upon learning of her father's arrest through Facebook, Ms Morrissey said she was "shocked" but also "upset and angry".

"I saw it up on Facebook," she said. "I was shocked and upset and angry that he didn't mention us once...just about his wife and dogs and they're acting like their dogs are their kids."

Ms Morrisey revealed it wasn't until she and her sister were 16 when they "properly" got to know their father and they haven't seen him since he left for the US.

"We were going to go," she said, "and then we decided not to because I don't know why we should make our efforts over there, when he should come us.

"We didn't leave, he left us. If he wants to meet us, he should come to us."

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Ms Morrissey said that she would like her father to return home for a reconciliation but added that she has "no sympathy whatsoever" for his predicament.

"He had a choice to leave and he still won't leave and he's saying he's in fear for his life, but he won't come back when he's getting a chance to come back."