November 6, 2007-Today, we have cause to celebrate. Irish-America has won the battle to stop the deportation of the McAllister family.  For the present, at least, this family, which has endured so much, can rest easy and get on with the business of living normal lives here in the USA. While justice has been served in this case, we know from bitter experience that such justice is doled out in very small parcels.

There are at least fifteen other Irish Republican activists, former political prisoners, and their families living here in the USA.   The children of these families are all U.S. citizens.  Known collectively as "the Deportees," these men have been the targets of a vindictive and anachronistic policy to deny them the right to live with any peace or security.  For years, they have faced ongoing harassment from Homeland Security in the form of denied and delayed work permits, denial of travel authorization papers, bureaucratic obstructionism, and an uncertain future.   They have been denied the basic human decency of visiting dying family members or attending funerals of parents and siblings, knowing there is no guarantee of re-entry once they leave this country.

While we celebrate the McAllister victory, we pledge to continue to work to see that this justice is extended to others in similar circumstances.  The people of Ireland have pledged themselves to building a new, more just society, looking with hope towards the future.  Surely it is time for the U.S. government to fully join in this endeavor putting the bitter past behind.  Let these Irish men and their American families know the peace and security that this great nation can provide.

Matt Morrison
Political Action Chair
Irish American Unity Conference

(See below for IAUC policy statement on the Irish Deportee situation.)

IAUC STATEMENT REGARDING DEPORTATION PROCEEDINGS AGAINST FORMER IRISH POWs
 
October 1, 2007-The IAUC has dedicated itself to the idea that peace can only occur in an atmosphere that promotes frank and open dialogue amongst all parties to the conflict in the North of Ireland.  This includes the United States of America, which acting as an "honest broker," facilitated a political atmosphere that allowed for the birth of the current peace process.  The end product of a lasting peace based on enduring democratic principles is now at hand.  Recognizing this, the IAUC has welded itself to the role of identifying and speaking out against anyone and anything which has the potential to thwart the development of the peace and democracy in which so many people and groups have invested so much commitment and energy.
 
In this spirit, the IAUC must state forthrightly that the United States Government, by actively pursuing the deportation of former Irish Republican activists, is markedly out of step with all other parties involved in this political endeavor.  The US policy is anachronistic and undermines the concept of a "peace dividend."  By extension this policy will undermine the peace itself.
 
We urge our government, through our elected representatives and appointed officials, to stand for peace in Ireland.  With all the conviction we can muster, we request that the families of former Irish POWs be granted permanent resident status.  To deny these families legal status would be an affront to our country's longstanding principles of justice and asylum.

ENDS

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