ICE Arrests British Citizen for “Looking Mexican”

ICE arbitrary detention in Florida

Extreme conditions at Krome

Deportation of British citizen

A 45-year-old British barber has reported being arbitrarily detained in Florida by immigration agents.

Craig Stinton said he was on his way to work in Key West when an agent stopped him and said: “You look Mexican.”

Despite identifying himself as a citizen of the United Kingdom, he was handcuffed and taken to the federal detention center in Krome.

Stinton remained in the facility for nearly a month before being deported to his hometown of Lisburn.

ICE Arbitrary Detention of British Citizen in Florida

ICE in Key West stops Lee Stinton—Northern Irish, documented, protected. Bureaucracy locks down. The federal machine, swollen on dollars and compelled to count heads, trades discretion for numbers. Stinton’s life is reduced to quota. In 2025, paper shields mean little when the… https://t.co/HE1kOLLofr

— Michael D. Baker (@mikebakerlaw) September 10, 2025

His partner, DeVaun Davis, said he never received immediate notification of Stinton’s whereabouts and that the British consulate was contacted only after a delay.

Newsweek reported that Stinton had attempted to regularize his immigration status and had no criminal record.

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The barber described his experience in Krome as traumatic and said conditions were extreme.

The cell he was placed in was designed for 10 people but at times held more than 100 detainees simultaneously.

Critical Conditions at Krome Detention Center

This is a must-read, jaw-dropping account of life in a Trump detention centre

Lee Stinton tells how he was lifted off the street ‘for looking like a Mexican’ and brought to a centre where a man ‘dropped dead in front of my eyes’

Phenomenal piece @GLPSwanhttps://t.co/WyvDSorucM

— Gareth Hanna (@GarethHanna11) September 10, 2025

Craig Stinton reported a lack of sufficient food, limited access to showers, and inadequate medical care.

He even witnessed the death of a detainee who did not receive his heart medication in time.

The British citizen also claimed he underwent medical procedures without his consent, including the forced removal of subdermal piercings while shackled.

The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the case, though ICE maintains that its operations focus on individuals with criminal records.

Deportation and Return to Lisburn

In May, the agency reported having carried out more than 1,100 arrests in Florida in just one week.

Following his deportation, Craig Stinton returned to Lisburn, where he resumed part-time work as a barber.

He is now undergoing therapy to cope with post-traumatic stress resulting from his detention.

The case has sparked criticism of ICE’s discretionary practices and the vulnerability of individuals with legal immigration status or foreign citizenship.

Human rights organizations have called for greater transparency and clearer protocols to protect foreign nationals from arbitrary detention.

Craig Stinton said his experience highlights the need to review detention procedures and medical care in U.S. federal facilities.