The law firm representing Irish man Seamus Culleton, who has been held in detention in the US since last September, has said a court order will "stay" his deportation for at least the next ten working days.
BOS Legal Group has also said a response by the US government on his deportation is due in the coming days.
Mr Culleton has spent the past nearly five months in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centre in El Paso, Texas.
In a statement issued this morning, a spokesperson for BOS Legal Group gave an update on his case.
They said: "Following a Petition for Review (PFR) of his administrative final removal order and an ex parte motion to stay Culleton's removal filed by our firm on his behalf, the First Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday, February 13, 2025, entered a temporary order staying Culleton's removal for the next ten business days.
"The court ordered the government to file their response which is due in the coming days."
The spokesperson added that they are committed to advocating for Mr Culleton's right to remain in the United States based on legal merits of his case.
"Our focus is on reuniting him with his spouse and ensuring that justice is served within the bounds of our laws."
BOS Legal Group also said it will not be commenting on "personal or family matters unrelated to legal representation at this time."
Mr Culleton entered the US in March 2009 as a tourist under the country's visa waiver programme but remained there after the permitted 90 days.
Originally from Glenmore in Co Kilkenny, he had previously been undocumented in the US.
However, he was in the final stage of the process of obtaining a green card when he was picked up by ICE agents.
He married a US citizen in April 2025 and also held a valid work permit.
However, a senior figure with the US Department of Homeland Security said Mr Culleton had been in the country illegally for 16 years, and he was free to leave the detention centre at any time and return to Ireland.
DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said Mr Culleton had received "due process" since his detention, and that he was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge in September 2025.
In a recent post on X, she also said that Mr Culleton was offered the chance to be removed to Ireland but "chose to stay in ICE custody, in fact he took affirmative steps to remain in detention."
It emerged last week that Mr Culleton, then aged 22, had been charged with the unlawful possession of drugs, possession for sale and supply, as well as obstruction in relation to an incident on 17 May 2008 in Glenmore.
After he failed to appear at a sitting of New Ross District Court to face the charges, a judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest in April 2009, one month after his arrival in the US.
