143 Day incarceration : A Lawful Permanent Resident, a Bad $25 Check, and the Cost of America’s Immigration System

Hosts Lauren Anderson and Peter Mina sit down with Donna Hughes-Brown, a British-born lawful permanent resident who has lived in the United States for nearly 50 years, and her husband Jim Brown, a Navy corpsman who served 20 years including Desert Storm.

In July 2025, returning from Ireland through Chicago O’Hare, Donna was detained by CBP — requesting she show “some magical paperwork” — and would spend the next 143 days in immigration detention. Her offense: a bad $25 check written to a grocery store in 2012 that had already been adjudicated and was only a misdemeanor. She describes being handcuffed on the jet bridge, no medication for six weeks, and a corrections officer invoking the “five-second rule” when her pill hit the floor.

Jim describes calling 200 congressional offices and being told “we don’t do legal stuff” — until he told one staffer to resign and turn in their badge, and a week later got a call: “Can you be in D.C. on Wednesday?” Donna warns all listeners : “Just because you’re legal doesn’t mean you’re safe.” The episode closes with a description of her data-driven advocacy — 84% of detainees have no criminal record, 19,000 homicides by U.S. citizens last year versus nine by immigrants — and her mission to treat all persons with dignity: “Before you are any of those things, you are human first.”

See Episode Transcript or Watch Video Here:

Guest info: was born in England to Irish parents and came to the United States as an 11-year-old child, building her life here as a lawful permanent resident. She trained as a large animal veterinary technician before studying occupational therapy. She now operates her own home health care practice in rural Missouri, specializing in hospice, respite, and private home care. In July 2025, she was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at Chicago O’Hare and held for 143 days. She now advocates for immigration reform and for detainees still in custody.

Jim Brown was born in Southeast Texas and grew up on a working ranch in Kearney, Nebraska. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy at 18 and served 20 years as a corpsman, including combat in Operation Desert Storm with the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines. He now works as a radiology and CT tech in a hospital. He and Donna married after meeting in 2015.

Founded in 2016, The Steady State is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization of more than 400 former senior national security professionals. Our membership includes former officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of State, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security. Drawing on deep expertise across national security disciplines, including intelligence, diplomacy, military affairs, and law, we advocate for constitutional democracy, the rule of law, and the preservation of America’s national security institutions.