A federal immigration court on Friday ordered the release of Beata Siemionkowicz, a resident of Des Plaines, Illinois. The 57-year-old remained in custody in Kentucky because the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had 24 business hours to appeal the ruling.
Her daughters, Gabi and Claudia Siemionkowicz, planned to leave Sunday evening to pick up their mother. For 15 months, the daughters’ contact with their mother was limited to two 15-minute video calls a week. The Polish woman, who holds a green card, has been held in an ICE jail in Kentucky since August 2025. Masked ICE agents detained her at her eldest daughter’s home in Des Plaines.
DHS is seeking Siemionkowicz’s deportation on the basis of two misdemeanor shoplifting charges from 2005 and 2011. Until last week, she was held without a bond hearing. “On Friday, the immigration judge found that both of these charges and convictions were the result of domestic violence the Polish woman suffered in her relationship,” said Hirsch Joshi, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Officials also accused Siemionkowicz of using forged documents in Poland to obtain immigration benefits in the United States. Her daughters said that a background check conducted in Poland found no evidence to support those allegations.
DHS issued a statement on Siemionkowicz: “ICE complies with all lawful court orders. For decades, Siemionkowicz has made a mockery of our immigration system and our laws. She will remain in ICE custody until her removal.” Pressed on the matter, DHS did not confirm whether it intends to appeal the order releasing Siemionkowicz on bail. The judge’s decision does not change the deportation order issued against her, but release would allow her to continue appealing it while out of custody.
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Source: Polski.FM
