Republican News · Thursday 13 February 1997

[An Phoblacht]

High-powered hearing backs deportees

By Paddy Newell and Dennis M Prebensen in Washington and Mick Naughton in Belfast.

The case of seven Irishmen facing deportation to the Six Counties from the United States was heard in the corridors of power in Washington last week. A high-powered Congressional hearing was given moving testimony from the men's families and strong arguments against their deporation from leading politicians.

Over 300 people, including many supporters of the deportees, packed the Banking Committee room for the hearing held on 6 February by the Ad Hoc Committee for Irish Affairs, and co-chaired by Ben Gilman and Thomas Manton, Peter King and Richard Neal.

The Irishmen facing deportation are, Noel Gaynor, Robbie McErlean, Gabriel Megahey, Matt Morrison, Kevin Crossan, Brian Pearson and Charlie Caulfield.

Congressman Peter King of New York disclosed that during a visit to Dublin in 1995 a senior US diplomat told himself and Representative Robert Menendez of New Jersey, that the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (INS) policy of deporation was a ``set-up by Scotland Yard to use the FBI to round up Irish nationalists'''. King said the diplomat also revealed, ``there were scores to be settled ... they [Scotland Yard] would get the Irish in America.''

King asked INS lawyers how the US would have treated South African President Nelson Mandela if he had been placed in a similar position. The General Counsel for the INS, David Martin, was forced to acknowledge the possibility of ``exceptions'' despite stating repeatedly his inability to discuss ``specifics.''

Testimony from four separate panels was heard. These were the INS, wives of the deportees and Irish American organisations including Irish Northern Aid; Irish American Unity Conference; Brehon Law Society; Irish National Caucus; American Irish Political Education Committee; and the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Lawyers including US political representative and advisor to President Clinton, Bruce Morrison, Paul Hourihan of the Lawyers Alliance for Human Rights, Michael Maggio, an immigration specialist, John Tyler from the Lawyers Justice in Ireland, Kansas City and Martin Galvin of New York acting for some of the deportees.

In his submission for Irish Northern Aid, Gerry Coleman said:

``If they had not been jailed as POW's in juryless courts for their activities in the North of Ireland, they would not be in the situation they're in now.''

Congressman Ben Gilman was relentless in his probing of INS General Counsel David Martin who at times was forced to admit British involvement in US internal affairs. It also was revealed in responses from the INS that in the case of one of the deportees, Matt Morrison, 17% of the information on his file was blacked out despite the rights of the men and their wives to see the files under the Freedom of Information Act.

Asked if he had seen UK documents with reference to the deportees' files, Martin replied, ``yes'' and that he was aware that information was being classified Top Secret. The men were being deported ``for what they think'', said Congressman Richard Neal and added, ``the men were answering honestly when asked about criminal convictions upon entering the US, believing that their one previous imprisonment resulted from their political loyalties''.

Bruce Morrison lent his legal weight to the issue and suggested that the INS can choose not to proceed on individual cases. In a statement Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams gave his support asking that the Ad Hoc Committee of Irish Affairs ``continue its work on behalf of these men and their families to ensure that justice is served''.

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