An English-born grandmother who has lived in the United States for nearly five decades is now facing deportation over a bounced cheque from more than 10 years ago worth just $25.
Donna Hughes-Brown, 58, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on July 29 at Chicago O'Hare International Airport after returning from Ireland, where she had attended a family funeral.
Despite having lived in the U.S. on a green card for 47 years, the grandmother-of-five has now spent more than a month in detention, with officials arguing she is no longer eligible to remain in the country due to what they call a 'crime of moral turpitude.'
Mrs Hughes-Brown, who holds Irish citizenship and is married to a U.S. Navy veteran, first arrived in the U.S. aged 11 with her parents and brother.
She now lives on a nine-acre farm in Troy, Missouri with her husband, Jim Brown, and has been actively involved in community charity work.
