Irish woman Cliona Ward, who had been detained in a United States immigration facility, has been released, her lawyer has confirmed.
Ms Ward was released from the Tacoma Detention Centre in Washington State last night, a few hours after a judge accepted an application to terminate the immigration proceedings, attorney Erin Hall told RTÉ's Prime Time.
"You Guys.... CLIONA IS FREE," Ms Ward's sister, Orla Holladay, wrote in an update on a Gofundme fundraising page.
"We walked into the room and the first thing she did was jump on the bed and hug the pillows," Ms Holladay added.
"She is in shock; filled with emotions, traumatised, full of gratitude, fear for the women she left behind."
Ms Ward is a green card holder and a long-time resident of California. She was detained on 21 April after travelling to Ireland to see her father last month.
Another sister, Tracey Ward, said news of her sibling's release was a "huge, huge relief".
"I was trying to maintain hope but I know how the system works over there so I was very fearful for her. I'm just completely relieved," said Ms Ward, who lives in Co Cork.
"The outpouring of love worldwide that we've received has been absolutely unbelievable."
Cliona Ward's green card allows her to live and work permanently in the US. On her return following a trip to Ireland, she was detained in relation to a small number of 20-year-old convictions, including traffic-related cases, which she understood had been expunged following a guilty plea.
An application was made in California on Friday for the original convictions to be formally vacated in a manner which would be recognised at a federal level, Ms Hall explained.
"It was very clear that Ms Ward didn't make those pleas voluntarily because she wasn't aware of the potential immigration consequences, so there was a constitutional violation," she said.
A California judge agreed to the application which allowed Ms Hall to subsequently file a motion to terminate the immigration proceedings. Yesterday, a judge at the Tacoma Immigration Court signed an order ending the removal proceedings.
"Justice was done," Ms Hall said, adding that there had been a lot of community support for the Irish woman, along with trade union and political support from a local congressman, Jimmy Panetta.
"The judge acted very quickly and I would say this case definitely moved faster than a normal case. I'm glad that that all worked out for her."
Congressman Panetta tweeted that he had fought to make sure the facts about Cliona Ward's case were presented so the court could use its "full discretion and do the right thing".
"I pressed officials from the White House to the Irish Government, worked with her legal team, and stood with her family and community. Her release shows what's possible when we come together for transparency, due process, and justice."
Ms Ward's lawyer said she is thrilled to be released, although mortified that she was detained over expunged convictions from decades ago.
Mike Mehr said Ms Ward was detained for around 17 days and was also sent from San Francisco to Seattle, where she was held in a detention centre.
He explained that she had no idea her previous convictions would still be recognised for immigration purposes because they had been expunged at a State level.
Mr Mehr added that it is unusual for such a thing to happen.
Prior to US President Donald Trump's inauguration in January, something like this might have lead to removal proceedings, but would definitely not have lead to detention, he said.
He told RTÉ's Morning Ireland that Ms Ward was told by officials that they were reluctant to detain her but those were their instructions.
She obviously was not a flight risk, Mr Mehr said.
"Under the new administration, these were their marching orders," he said, adding that conditions in the facility were harsh.
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Ms Ward told him the food was "manky" and the lights were never switched off.
However, she bonded with other women and feels bad that they are still going through the process.
Mr Mehr said harsh immigration policies have led to immigration attorneys urging all those who can to become US citizens.
He said even US citizens are afraid to travel outside the US, which is having a negative impact on tourism.
"But hopefully we will overcome because there is a lot of growing resistance to Trump's unreasonable policies," he added.
Mr Mehr said it had been anticipated that court proceedings would last around four months.
'In record time, with the cooperation of local district attorney's office, we were able to vacate the convictions at warp speed," he said.
It has been an extremely difficult period for the family, Cliona Ward's sister Tracey said.
"None of us have really been able to sleep properly while this has been going on," she told Prime Time.
"I'm just completely relieved. I think with Cliona gaining her freedom she will, and the rest of our family will, try and amplify our voices in support of all the people who are going through this unjust system."
She added that she was looking forward to a video call with her sister.
"My next thing is to see her beautiful face. I'll probably just stare at it and cry."
