Irish Republican News · November 30, 2008

Judge orders deportation of Pol Brennan

Former IRA PoW and H-Block escapee Pol Brennan, who has been living in the US for nearly 25 years, has been denied the right to remain in the country by a US judge.

Pol Brennan’s lawyer was notified of the deportation order on Friday. Elaine Komis, a spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Immigration Review, a branch of the Justice Department that oversees the immigration courts, said the decision was made on Wednesday.

The 55-year-old was taken into custody while on vacation in Texas in January after a border patrol noticed he had an expired work permit and has been held behind bars since then. A deportation hearing was finally heard on November 13.

If carried out, the deportation order will leave his wife, Joanna Volz, married to Brennan for 19 years, and their daughter in a difficult spot. The family had been living in San Francisco.

His lawyer says he did not know if Brennan wanted to appeal. A written copy of the order was in the mail to Byrne and not publicly available.

Brennan had asked for political asylum or permanent residency. He is currently being held in Willacy Prison in Raymondville, Texas.

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