APOLOGIES FOR CROSS POSTING



Dear friends,

Attached below is a letter addressed to the Minister for Justice calling
for halt the deportation of Irish citizen children and their non-national
parents, and to uphold the rights of these Irish children as equal
citizens.    
This letter to the Minister of Justice has been signed and endorsed by a
growing list of individuals and organisations, including Mary Robinson.
  
CADIC asks you to add your name to the support letter which is open for
signature to individuals living in Ireland and abroad.  We are hoping to
collect thousands of signatures on this letter in support of the campaign
and to present it to the Minister for Justice on 19 February 2004, the
anniversary of the abolition of the procedure whereby migrant parents could
apply for residency on the strength of having a child born in Ireland.
  
Please encourage your friends and families to add their names as well.  
  
To add your individual name, please email it to [log in to unmask] .  Please
include your county, city or town, and your organisational affiliation if
you wish it to be attached to the letter.
  
 
Thanks for your support.
  


Coalition Against the Deportation of Irish Children 
c/o Dominick Court, 40 - 41 Lower Dominick Street, Dublin 1

Minister for Justice Equality and Law Reform
Michael McDowell TD
Department of Justice Equality and Law Reform
72-76 St Stephen's Green
Dublin 2

December 2003 

Dear Mr McDowell,

We write to you to express our disquiet at the current policy of deporting
migrant parents of Irish citizen children. Our concern echoes similar
concerns of the human rights organisations, migrant organisations, migrant
support organisations and groups organised under the CADIC umbrella, as
well as those of the Irish Human Rights Commission and the National
Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI). 

The Human Rights Commission has noted in its recent submissions to you that
prior to the Supreme Court decision of January 2003, the Department of
Justice Equality and Law Reform had a procedure whereby families of Irish
children could lawfully apply for residency. The Human Rights Commission
also noted that many of those families who had been in the asylum
procedure, abandoned their claims on advice that they could rely on their
application for residency. Those families were advised, often by government
officials as well as lawyers, and legitimately expected, that they would be
able to remain and raise their Irish child in Ireland. Now many families
who lawfully applied for residency are having their applications returned
to them and are being told that they will not be processed any further, and
no consideration will be given of their claims pending the initiation of
the deportation process. 

This sudden retrospective change in policy is placing the families of Irish
citizen children under undue strain, confusion and hardship. The fact that
you have announced that these families would not be entitled to free legal
advice, is also putting these families under extraordinary financial
pressure. The Human Rights Commission recommends that, rather than continue
these families' state of uncertainty, you be asked to allow these families
to remain in Ireland. Granting these families residency will not affect the
integrity of the asylum process. Bearing in mind the high cost of
deportations and the potential contribution to be made by these migrant
families, many of whom are highly educated professional people, it also
makes economic sense to allow this group of people to remain. 

We support the HRC's recommendations wholeheartedly and ask you to allow
the families of Irish citizen children, whether former asylum seekers or
not, to remain, thus ending their limbo and uncertainty, and treating them
fairly and with dignity, rather than criminalizing them. 

At the same time we are asking you to put in place a transparent and fair
procedure for determining future applications for residency from families
of Irish citizens. As the Human Rights Commission has stated to you, the
rights of the Irish children of these families should form a primary
consideration in this procedure. In accordance with their rights under the
Irish Constitution and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child you
should factor in not only their risk of exposure to threats to the right to
life and bodily integrity, but also the impact their forced removal would
have on their welfare and rights to education and health care, and how
disruptive or traumatic removal from the State would be for the children
concerned. 

All Irish children are entitled under the Constitution to be treated as
equal citizens of the nation of Ireland and it is therefore essential that
this is reflected in your policies on residency for all Irish children and
their families. We would therefore call on you to adopt, as a matter of
urgency, the recommendations of the Human Rights Commission and the NCCRI
and to resolve the plight of these Irish citizen children and their
families in a just and humane way.
  
This Letter has been endorsed by:
 
Mary Robinson, Ethical Globalisation Initiative, New York
Patricia McKenna, MEP, European Parliament
Ciaran Cuffe, Green Party, T.D. Dail Eireann
Joe Costello, Labour Party,
T.D. Dail Eireann
Finian McGrath, Independent, T.D. Dail Eireann
Joe Higgins, Socialist Party, T.D. Dail Eireann
Aengus O'Snodaigh, Sinn Fein, T.D. Dail Eireann
Caoimhghin O'Caoláin, Sinn Fein, T.D. Dail Eireann
Sean Crowe, Sinn Fein, T.D. Dail Eireann
Arthur Morgan, Sinn Fein, T.D. Dail Eireann
Martin Ferris, Sinn Fein, T.D. Dail Eireann

Signatories
John Arden, author, Galway,
Roddy Doyle, author, Dublin,
Joseph O'Connor, author, Dublin
Dr Robbie McVeigh, author, Derry,
Fintan O'Toole, The Irish Times, Dublin
Donal Toolan, disability rights activist
Nuala Kelly, Irish Human Rights Commission
Michael O'Halloran, Irish Senior Citizens Parliament ATGWU,
Banúlacht, Dublin,
BARN, Blanchardstown Asylum Seekers and Refugee Network, Dublin
Cairde, 19 Belvedere Place, Dublin- Patrick Connolly, Chief Executive Officer,
Catholic Youth Care
Cherish, Dublin,
Community Workers Cooperative, Galway,
Cork Women Graduate Association, Cork,
Development Studies Centre, Kimmage Manor, Dublin - Tom Campbell,
Donegal Gender Equality Project, Co Donegal,
Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, Dublin,
EWM-Women with Disabilities Project, Dublin,
ICTU, Dublin
INTO, Dublin - Mary Enright,
NTDI, Dublin - Lindie Botha,
Louth African Women's Support Group, Dundalk,
Galway Refugee Support Group
Gay Community News, Dublin - Marie Mulholland, General Manager,
Inner City Renewal Group - Seanie Lambe,
Inner City Organisations Network - Tom Redmond,
Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice - Margaret Burns,
Meitheal Management Team,
NASC, Immigrant Support Centre, Cork
National Parents Council Primary
National Youth Council of Ireland, Dublin,
One Parent Exchange Network, Dublin 
One World Spirit (Dundalk Refugee Support Group), Dundalk,
Partners Training for Transformation, Dublin,
Pavee Point
Residents Against Racism, Dublin
Ruhama, Dublin,
SIPTU - Regional Executive Committee, Des Derwin,
Sligo Rape Crisis Centre, Sligo,
Society of St. Vincent de Paul - Mairead Mahon,
Tallaght Partnership - Anne Prendiville,
Young Christian Workers Movement (YCW), Dublin,
Women in Media and Entertainment, Galway - Margaretta D'Arcy, Chair,

From Trinity College Dublin - Prof Ivana Bacik, Faculty of Law; Dr Barbara
Bradby, Department of Sociology; Colm Brethnach, Department of Geography;>
Dr Andrew Finlay, Department of Sociology; Robbie Gilligan, Children's
Research Centre; Dr Nalini Persram, Department of Political Science, 

From University College Cork - Dr Shane Kilcommins, Faculty of Law,
Siobhan Mullaly, Faculty of Law, Dr Darius Whelan, Faculty of Law,
 
From University College Dublin, - Dr Kieran Allen, Department of Sociology;
Prof Kathleen Lynch, Equality Studies; Ailbhe Smyth, Director, Women's
Education, Research and Resource Centre; Patricia Towey, Equality Studies
Centre,

From NUI Galway - Donncha O'Connell, Faculty of Law; Diarmuid O'Donovan,
Department of Health Promotion, Prof. William Schabas, Director, Irish
Centre for Human Rights,

From DIT School of Social Sciences and Legal Studies - Kevin Lawlor,
 
From Anglia Polytechnic University, UK- Prof. Bronwen Walter

From Oxford University, Refugee Studies Centre - Dr Alana Lentin,
 
From Falmouth College of Arts, UK - Dr. Angeline Morrison, 
 
From Hertford College Oxford - Dr Aoife Bhreatnach,
 
From Center for the Study of Culture, Race and Ethnicity, Ithaca College,
New York - Dr Elisa Joy White,

From Bowling Green State University, Ohio - Department of Ethnic Studies
Robert Buffington, Associate Professor of History; Jeannie Ludlow,
Lecturer, Women's Studies Programme; Eithne Luibheid, Assistant Professor;
Michael T. Martin, Chair and Professor; Susana Pena, Assistant Professor, 
  
From University of California, Santa Barbara - Horacio N. Roque Ramirez,
Ph.D. Assistant Professor,

From University of California, Berkeley - Judith Butler, Maxine Elliot
Professor in the Departments of Rhetoric and Comparative Literature

From Keogh Institute for Irish Studies, University of Notre Dame - Prof
Luke Gibbons,

From Massachusetts College of Art, Fellow W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for
Afro-American Research, Harvard University, Boston - Prof Noel Ignatiev

From University of Southern California - Prof David Lloyd, Dept of English
  
CADIC includes:
Amnesty Ireland (Irish Section), Akina Dada Wa Africa (AkiDwA) , the
Children's Rights Alliance, Conference of Religious Of Ireland, the Free
Legal Advice Centres, the Immigrant Council of Ireland, Integrating
Ireland, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, the Irish Refugee Council,
the Jesuit Refugee Service, the Refugee Project of the Catholic Bishops,
Refugee Information Service, Residents Against Racism,  National Women's
Council of Ireland, the Vincentian Refugee Centre and Ronit Lentin, chair.

Contacts:
Ms. Hilkka Becker, The Immigrant Council of Ireland; Tel: 01 8656525 / 087
9481911
Mr. Ray Dooley, Chief Executive, Children's Rights Alliance; Tel: 405 4823
/ 087 9678345
Ms. Eleanor Edmond, Solicitor, Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC); Tel: 01
-8745690;
Mr. Jean-Pierre Eyanga, Integrating Ireland, Comhlamh; Tel:
01-4783490/086-3767403
Joanna McMinn, National Women's Council of Ireland; Tel: 01 6615268 / 6611791
Sr. Breege Keenan, The Vincentian Refugee Centre; Tel: 01 8102580
Dr Ronit Lentin, Dept of Sociology, Trinity College; Tel: 01-6082766
Mr. Sean Love, Executive Director, Amnesty International (Irish Section);
Tel:  01-6776361
Ms. Salome Mbugua, AkiDwA-African Women's Network; Tel: 087 4150906
Mr. John McDermott, Manager, The Refugee Information Service; Tel: 01 8382740
Mr. Peter O'Mahony, Chief Executive Officer, Irish Refugee Council; Tel: 01
8730042 
Ms. Aisling Reidy, Director, Irish Council for Civil Liberties; Tel: 01
8783137/ 087 2897558
Sr. Joan Roddy, The Irish Commission for Justice and Peace, Refugee
Project; Tel: 01 5053157 
Fr. Frank Sammon, The Jesuit Refugee Service; Tel: 01 8556814 


        Dr Ronit Lentin
        Course coordinator, 
        MPhil in Ethnic and Racial Studies, 
        Department of Sociology, University of Dublin, 
        Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland.
        Tel: 353 1 6082766. Fax: 353 1 6771300. 
        Email: [log in to unmask]
        http://www.tcd.ie/Sociology/mphil/mphil.htm