IAUC: Former Irish Political Prisoners Should Not Be Deported

international | rights, freedoms and repression | press release Sunday September 16, 2007 16:47 by Jay Dooling - Irish American Unity Conference (IAUC) rdooling at swbell dot net

Malachy McAllister and his family will be deported from the United
States unless the US House of Representatives and the Senate pass a
bill to halt this action. The Irish American Unity Conference
(IAUC) urges immediate action.

IAUC: Former Irish Political Prisoners Should Not Be Deported

Malachy McAllister and his family will be deported from the United
States unless the US House of Representatives and the Senate pass a
bill to halt this action. The Irish American Unity Conference
(IAUC) urges immediate action.

Pól Ó hEarcáin, National Vice President of the IAUC, said: “Senator
Menendez (Democrat, NJ) needs to introduce a bill to stop the
deportation of Malachy and his family. Representative Steven Rothman
(Democrate – NJ) has introduced a bill in the House of Representatives.
http://rothman.house.gov/news_releases/rel_060805c.htm

“The department of home land security will deport Malachy
McAllister and his young family in two weeks if no action occurs.
This is the last chance to help this deserving family.

“STOP THE DEPORTATIONS OF FORMER IRISH POLITICAL PRISONERS”.

The McAllisters are a Catholic family from Northern Ireland
who have been seeking political asylum in the United States
since 1996.

On October 2, 1988, two masked loyalist gunmen smashed the
front window of the McAllister home and fired 26 shots into
the house narrowly missing three of the McAllister children
and their grandmother, who was minding them. Malachy and
his wife, Bernadette (who has since died of cancer in
2004), were not home at the time.

They were later notified by the Royal Ulster Constabulary
that Malachy's security information was found in a loyalist
'safe house' along with the guns used in the shooting.

This information confirmed that the McAllisters were being
deliberately targeted and that the loyalist attack had been
planned in collusion with the security forces. Other
members of the McAllister's family had also been targeted.
Theresa Clinton, a relative, was murdered when loyalists
fired shots into her living room. Bernadette's family
members had been warned by the RUC to take security
precautions because, like Malachy, their personal details
were in the hands of paramilitary organizations.

The threats have followed the McAllisters even here to the
United States. In 2005, a loyalist terror group called the
Red Hand Defenders emailed a threat against the McAllisters
to the Irish Echo newspaper stating that, "We won't miss
next time."

It is not clear why the government has chosen to proceed in
the McAllister case, while suspending action on many of the
other Irish 'deportee' cases. The McAllisters have had the
constant support of a number of our Congressmen and
Senators, whose intervention resulted in a 'suspension of
order of removal'.

The blatant threats of violence that have been made against
the McAllister family still stands. Despite the many
welcome improvements brought about by the Peace Process,
the reality is that loyalist paramilitaries have refused to
decommission and are still armed and threatening. Many
believe that if forced to return to Northern Ireland the
McAllisters will once again be the targets of violence.

END
----

Contact: Jay Dooling (rdooling@swbell.net)

Irish American Unity Conference
National Office
611 Pennsylvania Ave, SE #4150
Washington, D.C. 20003
800-947-4282

http://www.irishamericanunityconference.org/

National Press Officer: Jay Dooling
Email: rdooling@swbell.net

"Working for Justice and Peace in a Re-united Ireland”
The IRISH AMERICAN UNITY CONFERENCE is a nationwide,
nonpartisan, nonsectarian, chapter-based human rights
organization working for justice and peace in Ireland. We
are a wholly American 501(c)(4) organization that advocates
the end of British colonial occupation and the peaceful
reunification of Ireland . We endeavor to achieve these
goals by working through the American democratic process.
Individually, our members represent every occupational and
educational stratum in the United States .