WEDO Radio - 810 am, Pittsburgh, PA

ECHOES of The Happenings Around Our Town and Beyond

Diane V. Byrnes, Producer and Host

Echoes of Erin, WEDO 810AM

June 12, 2005

Interview with MALACHY MCALLISTER, New Jersey

Introduction:

Last week I read you a letter from Malachy. During the 1980's Malachy served time in prison for offenses arising out of the conflict in Northern Ireland . When he was released from prison, loyalist paramilitaries fired 26 shots into his family's home, barely missing his children and mother-in-law. The family fled Belfast in 1988. Since coming to the US, he opened a business, paid taxes, sent his children to school, two of his sons are now married to American women. He lost his wife to cancer last May, she is buried in NJ. He is fighting deportation.

  On Wednesday last, he had a briefing in Washington . Congressional support for Malachy's case is being built by Congressmen Rothman, King, Engel, Smith and a strong network of Irish Americans. We need to contact our Congressmen and women here in Southwestern Pennsylvania so they can sign on to supporting Malachy.

  On July 1 st an oral hearing will take place at the Federal Court Building in Newark, New Jersey that will determine whether Malachy and his family will be deported or not. Today, he will give us an update on the situation.

DVB: Malachy McAllister is on the line with me now. Malachy at the beginning of the program I gave a bit of an introduction and last week I read your letter which just broke my heart. How are you doing?

MM: Well, as well as can be expected with all of this going on around me; just go day by day.

DVB: You had a briefing in Washington that took place this past Wednesday.

MM: Yes, it was very well attended. We had a lot of support from my Congressman (Steve Rothman D-NJ) who attended personally and others who sent their aides.

DVB: Is the briefing real effective for you?

MM: This briefing was basically held to let Congressional leaders know what is going on in my case; it is more or less to let them know that what's going on and to make them aware that we urgently need help . And we need signatures onto a letter that was authored by Steve Rothman and Peter King. And that's political at the moment, as well that there was a bill introduced by my Congressman (Steve Rothman) that day, calling on Homeland Security to end the deportation. So really, that's what's going on at the minute. My Congressman and Peter King have been very supportive.

DVB: Malachy can you speak up a bit?

MM: Ah, sorry Diane.

DVB: Oh, that is so much better, I feel like you are sitting right here next to me.

MM: That's cell phones Diane.

DVB: Ah! Sometimes they leave a little bit to be desired. I'm sorry Malachy, I didn't mean to interrupt you. You were saying about your Congressman and the letter he wrote?

MM: Yes, there have been two things, actually three things that have been going on. One was the bill that was drafted by Congressman Steve Rothman and was introduced on Wednesday which is calling on Congress to end the deportation and to make us legal citizens of the country.

The other thing was the letter that was authored by Peter King with Steve Rothman as well, calling on the Secretary, Michael Chertoff of Homeland Security, to suspend the deportation against myself and members of my family. That is where we are at the moment.

 Then we are asking other congressional leaders to sign on to this letter to support this .

This is an opportunity for me to try and reach out to your audience today and make them aware that it's crunch time for us. We have a hearing coming up on the 1 st of July. We expect the decision will be made shortly after, not on the day.

 DVB: In going through a variety of material that I have here Malachy, can you tell me what is meant by this sentence; “the Court may find that Congress has not provided means within the Immigration and Nationality Act to grant relief.”

Obviously that will be a decision that is made July 1 st or thereabouts.

MM: In fact really what has happened since 9/11 – there have been a number of changes, different bills, which obviously has had an immediate affect on cases such as myself. Mostly the decisions have been taken away from the courts, and now what is termed an ‘executive order' . Someone for an example, who is here and has a previous conviction, cannot appeal to any Court. Once it has been established you have a previous conviction whether it be here or in your homeland or wherever, then you are seen as being deportable, immediately. So that takes away the opportunity for anyone to appeal to Federal Court here.

That means my situation is very tentative now; you know I have a previous conviction as your listeners are probably aware. I was involved in the struggles in North of Ireland going back to 1981 during the time of the Hunger Strikes. I did spend three and a half years in Long Kesh, and was released. I paid my debt to society. It was after that when loyalist paramilitaries attacked my home and tried to murder us. That is the only grounds on which they find me deportable. I'm not wanted in any other part of the country; I'm not wanted anywhere.

Obviously the only people that want me back there are the people who have done harm and tried to murder us in the first place. I don't know if your listeners were aware of the threat that was made against us. Actually, when I was nearly deported at the end of 2003, shortly after that we had an email threat by the Red Hand Commandos , which went to the Irish Echo. Basically saying they were aware of my situation here and they looked forward to seeing me back there.

DVB: Malachy, how are Nicola and Sean handling all of this? This has got to be very unsettling for them.

MM: They were with me on Wednesday and it certainly has really played on their minds, for sure. My oldest daughter really wants to go to college here. At this point she isn't able to do so; my youngest son is still in high school. They are really concerned they are going to be forced back to the North of Ireland. You know they have not been there. They were babies when they left, so they don't know anything of it.

As you know I report every few weeks to Homeland Security here in Newark . The important thing here is it used to be my wife who; obviously as your listeners are aware died from circumstances, she died from ovarian cancer. For me or anyone who knows of the case, we are a hundred percent sure that the stress and everything else of the case that we had to endure all these years caused this. Now this stress is being passed onto my children and I don't know where we are going to be; and that really concerns me. I need to have this situation, some kind of end to it; we really want make sure it is not an end where we have to leave this country. The children were brought up and spent all their lives here.

DVB: What we need our listeners to do out there today is to contact our congressman – Mike Doyle, Tim Murphy, Melissa Hart – I have their phone numbers and I'll give them out when we hang up Malachy.

We really need to have our Congressmen sign on to this letter of Peter King and Steve Rothman and encourage them– our local politicians our local congressmen – encourage them to be very supportive of Malachy McAllister and his family situation and to get on board.

Malachy, do you think if we get as many politicians as possible, do you think this will really help you?

MM: I'm hoping Diane, really this is our last hope. If we don't get the support here, then there is no telling what will happen. Really, our lives are on the line. I think we have to make this government aware and the Homeland Security Secretary aware that there is a danger that lies back there. (meaning Northern Ireland ).

There are many, many problems in the North of Ireland, you may not read about it as much now but, there's homes being attacked every day and someone like myself who may be sent back there, is obviously facing a very dangerous time.

DVB: Plus Malachy, one thing that has stuck in my brain is, Bernadette has passed on; and if you go back home; (emotional pause) who will be here to pay their respects to her?

MM: That is another issue, (emotional pause), I really want to make - I would like to stay here for that. I can't really put words into how I am feeling about that whole issue. You know, she fought and she gave it all alongside me all the years we spent in Ireland, and that only was for one thing – was to give our kids a future and then life was denied to us.

You need to remember the courts made a decision 2000 to grant political asylum to my wife and children, then they decided to take it away from them. The reality is that she, as a result of what we had been through - she was put through the courts here, my children were put through the courts for the past 17 years and there was no other family, I believe that was put in that position. We deserve to be recognize as political asylum seekers. And to have that taken off of her, in the way in which it was, was completely wrong. It really throws in the face what this country is all about. Most of our families come over here to seek a new life. America always seemed to be a haven for people who could prove that they were here as a result of persecution and religious attacks. We certainly proved that in the courts here; yet an all, we are still fighting to get that back. For the sake of Bernadette and in her memory, I would ask your listeners, and compel them to get on the phone and call your congressmen.

You know, all we every really wanted was to give our kids a future, to get away and protect them. That is the only thing we have done and we have been persecuted for it. You know?

DVB: Yes, I do know. Well Malachy, I'm going to have to say so long for now. I'm going to give out our Congressmen's phone numbers and I'll certainly be kept abreast of what is happening. Today or tomorrow, I will transcribe our interview and have it posted to my website.

I'm praying for you every night Malachy, I just hope we get positive results here.

MM: Thank you.

DVB: Take Care.

Mike Doyle's Pittsburgh Office Number is 412-261-5091.

Tim Murphy (sent an aide to the briefing on Wednesday, June 8, 2005 ) 412-344-5582. (I incorrectly stated that Tim Murphy signed on to Rothman / King letter).

Melissa Hart's Pittsburgh Office is 412-492-0161