Message from Ciaran Ferry

“I remain more committed than ever to this fight for justice.” -- republican Ciaran Ferry, who has returned to Ireland after two years in a US jail fighting a battle against deportation.

Just a few lines to thank you all for your support and friendship over the last two years, and to correct any misinformation about my departure.

First and foremost, I want to assure you all that the termination of my detention does not change anything in regards to my legal fight to live a free and peaceful existence in the U.S. I did voluntarily submit to removal, but I have not given up any right to appeal or withdrawn any pending appeals, and I have absolutely no intention of doing so. I remain more committed than ever to this fight for justice.

I apologize that my departure may have seemed abrupt. It was indeed a somewhat abrupt decision made as a family, and came only after repeated attempts at negotiating my release failed.

After my Petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus was denied, there was no longer any legal avenue to secure my release. If the Department of Homeland Security would not agree to release me, I would have remained imprisoned until the Board of Immigration Appeals ruled on my asylum appeal. This ruling is not expected before the end of 2005.

Additionally, there was nothing legally protecting me from removal. To assure that I would not be deported immediately, my attorneys filed a Petition for a Stay of Removal. I was granted a temporary stay, which protected me from deportation until mid-December 2004.

Negotiations for my release had begun before the habeas hearing in October 2004, and continued well after the ruling came down. Unfortunately, despite numerous offers and agonizing days spent waiting and hoping for any response from the Department of Homeland Security, it finally became apparent that they had no intention of releasing me under any terms, barring a court order.

In the end, the DHS would not even allow me 30 days to spend with my wife and daughter before voluntarily departing - a courtesy extended on a daily basis to thousands of others facing deportation.

With another year of detention a near certainty, the decision was made to withdraw our pending Petition for a Stay of Removal and voluntarily submit to deportation. The Petition for a Stay was the only item withdrawn from court at this time.

My appeal of the decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals, which denied me political and religious asylum in the United States, remains live. Should justice prevail, I will be allowed to return to the U.S. In the coming month we will also be appealing the ruling by Judge Edward Nottingham which denied my Petition for Habeas Corpus.

However, because of safety concerns, we were unable to publicize any of this before I left the country.

I am still trying to get my head around things after almost two years of incarceration. I am happy to be out of that jail, but devastated to be so far away from Heaven and Fiona. I am already feeling nostalgic about those restrictive, half hour jail visits.

My safety is of grave concern to my family, and I worry about the stress this places on my wife and daughter. I can only hope that I will win asylum on appeal, be allowed to return to the United States. In the interim, we will be taking every precaution to ensure my safety.

On the upside I can now contribute to my little family, at least, in some small, financial way.

I can also communicate much more freely, and I will be in contact (personally) with many of you who sustained me throughout that period of darkness.

The other Irish Deportees and I will continue to fight to live safely and peacefully in the United States. My family will visit me in Ireland, but will remain in the U.S. until the conclusion of my court cases and continue to campaign on my behalf. I look forward to taking a more active and personal role in publicizing my case and working with the Irish Deportees of America Committee on behalf of all of the deportees, current and future.

Again, let me offer you my eternal thanks for your help, support, and kindness.

I gcairdeas,

Ciaran.

Urgent Appeal