RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Beata Siemionkowicz, a Polish-born green card holder who has lived in the United States for decades, has spent nearly a year in ICE detention in Kentucky over old shoplifting convictions and allegations that she “forged documents to obtain immigration benefits,” a Department of Homeland Security ( DHS ) spokesperson told Newsweek.
Siemionkowicz has been a green card holder since 2003 and has spent most of her adult life in the U.S. with her daughters, Claudia, 25, and Gabi, 21.
Donna Hughes-Brown, who was held at the same Kentucky detention facility as Siemionkowicz last year, told Newsweek that Siemionkowicz had already gone to court over the decades-old charges but “ICE had determined that it constitutes moral turpitude.” Under U.S. immigration law, certain offenses may be classified as crimes involving moral turpitude, a category that often includes crimes involving fraud, theft or dishonest conduct and can lead to deportation or other immigration penalties.
President Donald Trump has pledged to launch the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history, and immigrants residing in the country both illegally and legally, with valid documentation such as green cards and visas, have been detained. Newsweek has reported dozens of cases involving green card holders and applicants who were swept up in the immigration raids and various arrests.
A DHS spokesperson added in an email to Newsweek , “Possessing a green card is a privilege, not a right. Under our nation’s laws, our government has the authority to revoke a green card if our laws are broken and abused.”
Newsweek has reached out to Siemionkowicz and her attorney for comment via email on Tuesday. Newsweek has reached out to her daughters via a GoFundMe for their mother’s legal fees and Claudia’s Instagram on Tuesday.
Siemionkowicz was arrested on August 2, 2025, in Des Plaines, Illinois. She was gardening at her daughter Claudia’s home, The Chicago Tribune reported.
After two days at the Broadview facility outside of Chicago, she was transported to Campbell County Detention Center in Newport, Kentucky, where she has been held for nearly a year.
A DHS spokesperson told Newsweek that Siemionkowicz is a “criminal alien from Poland with multiple prior arrests for shoplifting.”
The statement continued, “She lawfully entered the United States on November 18, 1995. In violation of our nation’s laws, she overstayed her lawful admission by failing to depart on or before February 16, 1996. She was granted a green card in January 2003.”
The DHS said she “forged documents to obtain immigration benefits” in 2001. DHS did not provide additional details when asked about the case.
The immigration agency noted that she had “been arrested twice in Illinois for retail theft: once in September 2005 and again in October 2011.”
In a GoFundMe started by her daughters, they note that “Beata and her family are aware of her two past minor theft charges, which she has owned up to,” adding that charges from 2001 and 2003 are of thefts that “equal less than $150.” Newsweek could not independently verify which 2001 and 2003 charges the daughters were referring to. The Tribune reported she has a misdemeanor retail theft from stores Jewel and Kohl’s in 2005 and 2011.
“For decades, Siemionkowicz has made a mockery of our immigration system and our laws,” the DHS spokesperson said, adding that “on December 9, 2025, an immigration judge issued Siemionkowicz an order of removal. She will remain in ICE custody pending her removal.”
Her family has filed an appeal and is working with Senator Dick Durbin to help get her out of detention. Newsweek has reached out to Durbin’s office for comment via email on Tuesday.
“Senator Durbin takes seriously his commitment to assist his constituents. Senator Durbin’s office has been in contact with the family and will continue to provide whatever assistance is possible,” a spokesperson from Durbin’s office told the Tribune .
Hughes-Brown told Newsweek that the DHS told Siemionkowicz there “were charges against her in Poland. But she has a letter from the Polish government stating there are no charges, nor have there ever been any charges against her in Poland.” Newsweek could not verify what charges the DHS was referring to.
CBS News reported that documents provided by the family included a February 2025 certification from the Polish Embassy stating that Siemionkowicz does not appear in Poland's national criminal registry.
Siemionkowicz has worked as a commercial cleaner and hospice caregiver in the Round Lake area, and her daughters note in the GoFundMe that she was the sole provider for the household. The Tribune reported that one of her daughters, Gabi, has temporarily dropped out of nursing school at Oakton College to help pay for her mother’s expenses, including her mortgage, utilities and legal fees.
“We just know deep down in our hearts that our mom does not deserve to be removed from this country,” Claudia told the Tribune , adding, “She has two misdemeanors, yes, but those were resolved. We’re really still in ignorance about the whole thing; we can’t believe that this is happening.”
The daughters started an Instagram page called Bring Beata Home to raise awareness of their mother's case. They captioned a July 3 video showing them meeting with various congressional leaders and advocating on their mother's behalf: "When it comes to our case, @dhsgov has failed to show ANY REAL PROOF as to why our mother has been in detention for the last 11 months."
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“We were there with women that were in for attempted murder charges. We were in with folks that had a lot of drug-related charges, a lot of domestic violence, a lot of hardcore criminal activitie...
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