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ICE bust of local leader puts Boston’s illegal Irish on edge

D

Dram

Member
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2017/06/ice_bust_puts_boston_s_illegal_irish_on_edge
Boston’s Irish community is on high alert after ICE agents detained a local leader for deportation, sparking fears that thousands of other illegal immigrants living and working here for years could be next.

The arrest of John Cunningham — an electrical contractor and past chairman of the Gaelic Athletic Association in Boston — was particularly stunning because agents descended on his Brighton home.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh said, “This is the first time we’ve heard in Boston that somebody went to somebody’s house to take somebody. We haven’t heard that before.”

The mayor said he is seeking more information about the detainment of Cunningham, who is being held at the South Bay House of Correction.

“There’s a fear out there, we have to try and tamper the fear down,” Walsh said.

Cunningham has been detained for overstaying a 90-day visa after entering the United States in 2003, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Shawn Neudauer.

Cunningham may have caught the attention of ICE when he appeared on a television show broadcast in Ireland in March and streamed online, and proclaimed his illegal immigration status in the U.S.

“All of a sudden, you turn around and too much time has gone by and you start to realize what is going to be in store for yourself for the future,” Cunningham said on the RTE Prime Time news show. “When you’re young, it’s all great. But the years go on fast and all of a sudden you end up with commitments here … a home, a job and it becomes your home.”

Cunningham came to the United States through the Visa Waiver Program that allows citizens in participating countries easier travel abroad — but requires them to waive any rights to be seen by a judge if they overstay. That gives Cunningham “no recourse” against deportation now that he’s detained, according to Ronnie Millar, executive director of the Boston-based Irish International Immigrant Center.

And Millar said that many of the estimated 12,000 illegal Irish immigrants in Massachusetts have overstayed the same visa and could face similar deportation.

While deportations of Irish nationals in the Boston area have not increased from 2016 to 2017, the fear and anxiety residents have has, Millar said — and he blamed the Trump administration’s get-tough stance on illegal immigration by not just focusing on criminals exclusively.

“There definitely seems to be a shift in focus that any non-citizen is at risk of detention, regardless of their contributions or ties to communities,” Millar said. “It’s a misguided policy, there ought to be some kind of priority in terms of enforcement.”
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L

Laekon

Member
Wonder how this will effect tourism on the Cape. A lot of Irish come to work there during the summer and while most are legal many aren't.
 
N

norm9

Member
“There definitely seems to be a shift in focus that any non-citizen is at risk of detention, regardless of their contributions or ties to communities,” Millar said.
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This sounds like a slight swipe at our fellow Latino immigrants.
 
H

Heshinsi

"playing" dumb? unpossible
Ok so last year I found out the Canadians make up the single largest population living in the States with expired visas. Now you're telling that the Irish are doing the same thing? Well I suppose we owe the Mexicans an apology for having them carry the brunt of the scrutiny. Sorry guys, I didn't even know we had so many illegals there, and that's because the Americans don't seem to complain about us :/
 
F

Fuchsdh

Member
Heshinsi said:
Ok so last year I found out the Canadians make up the single largest population living in the States with expired visas. Now you're telling that the Irish are doing the same thing? Well I suppose we owe the Mexicans an apology for having them carry the brunt of the scrutiny. Sorry guys, I didn't even know we had so many illegals there, and that's because the Americans don't seem to complain about us :/
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Well, because obviously it's easier for English-speaking immigrants to "hide" in plain sight. Racial biases probably also come into play.

But overstaying visas is how most illegal immigrants come to this country, which is why the Border Wall has and always will be a folly from jump.
 
R

Ridisc

Banned
I want to word this in a way that wont get me shouted at or accused or bigotry

So Ive read the article and the guy overstayed his visa, he is here illegally and he got himself found out by telling the world he is there illegally in a tv show and live streaming.

Human tragedy aside, because I agree it is tragic, didn't he break the law and deporting him is the correct decision?
 
B

BreezyLimbo

Banned
You know

They should play up his deportation. Everyone should talk about this and put his face front and center. Because when not even white people are safe, and unfortunately thats the thing that will get people to open their minds.
 
sazzy

sazzy

Member
Ridisc said:
I want to word this in a way that wont get me shouted at or accused or bigotry

So Ive read the article and the guy overstayed his visa, he is here illegally and he got himself found out by telling the world he is there illegally in a tv show and live streaming.

Human tragedy aside, because I agree it is tragic, didn't he break the law and deporting him is the correct decision?
Click to expand...

It is.
 
N

Ninja Scooter

Member
TFW a Trump voter realizes illegal immigrants who aren't brown actually exist
rWyPm5V.png
 
N

norm9

Member
BreezyLimbo said:
You know

They should play up his deportation. Everyone should talk about this and put his face front and center. Because when not even white people are safe, and unfortunately thats the thing that will get people to open their minds.
Click to expand...

Ha! Get the Irish outta here. USA is only for us Quakers and Christians.
 
B

Brakke

Banned
I thought "ice bust" meant like... a sculpture carved out of ice. And it put people on edge because someone smashed in effigy or something.
 
poppabk

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
Ridisc said:
I want to word this in a way that wont get me shouted at or accused or bigotry

So Ive read the article and the guy overstayed his visa, he is here illegally and he got himself found out by telling the world he is there illegally in a tv show and live streaming.

Human tragedy aside, because I agree it is tragic, didn't he break the law and deporting him is the correct decision?
Click to expand...
Yeah, he totally should be deported. The fact that he had to go on TV proclaiming his crime for him to get found out is the worrying part.
 
P

Permanently A

Junior Member
BreezyLimbo said:
You know

They should play up his deportation. Everyone should talk about this and put his face front and center. Because when not even white people are safe, and unfortunately thats the thing that will get people to open their minds.
Click to expand...

white supremacists don't even consider the irish to be white
 
V

Vyer

Member
Ridisc said:
I want to word this in a way that wont get me shouted at or accused or bigotry

So Ive read the article and the guy overstayed his visa, he is here illegally and he got himself found out by telling the world he is there illegally in a tv show and live streaming.

Human tragedy aside, because I agree it is tragic, didn't he break the law and deporting him is the correct decision?
Click to expand...

There are a whole slew of factors that make the situation much more complex than 'the correct decision', including issues with the legalization process, the human factor, previous programs involving children and families of these immigrants, the inconsistency and errors in the information given to immigrants in regards to the 'criminal activity' that's supposedly targeted, the use of racist rhetoric and dehumanization (in some cases, though not necessarily at play here) that motivates some of these policies, etc etc

This guy didn't help himself, and there's nothing wrong with secure borders and actually targeting criminals who are a danger to the public. This administration and these new crackdowns have neither the competence nor the ability to consider the complexity of the situation to handle this 'correctly.'
 
E

Einchy

semen stains the mountaintops
poppabk said:
Yeah, he totally should be deported. The fact that he had to go on TV proclaiming his crime for him to get found out is the worrying part.
Click to expand...
Do you often worry about people living their lives in peace without them causing you any issues?
 
R

_Ryo_

Member
This is really tragic but I so have to point out its pathetic how transparent they are about their views on illegal immigration.

Brown people = "They're criminals and are here illegally. Deport them!"
White people = These are good people with families, a home a life. They've came here by desperate means but we need to learn compassion. Let them stay! (Nevermind they are criminals and also here illegally. Shhhh, all is fine.)"

Brown person being deported = "yay, this is justice being served."
White person being deported = "yikes, this is quite scary. What afe you doing? Stop it!"

Again, its very tragic but the clear hypocrisy of it all is extremely deflating.
 
S

Seth Enosh

Member
Yamauchi said:
How does someone stay illegally in the United States for 14 years? Do they not have a centralized database like most developed countries that keeps track of these things?
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We don't. That's one of the things Trump was able to capitalize on. There's no tracking of people who overstay their visas.

We've been purposefully underfunding and handicapping immigration enforcement for decades because business interests like having an underclass of illegals to exploit, and some politicians see them as guaranteed voters after a future amnesty.
 
A

Albino_Yeti

Member
Ridisc said:
I want to word this in a way that wont get me shouted at or accused or bigotry

So Ive read the article and the guy overstayed his visa, he is here illegally and he got himself found out by telling the world he is there illegally in a tv show and live streaming.

Human tragedy aside, because I agree it is tragic, didn't he break the law and deporting him is the correct decision?
Click to expand...

It is indeed. The law is the law. I would expect other countries to deport Americans if they did the same thing as well.
 
D

Darknight

Member
Hope this blows up for Trump die hards finally see that being an immigrant doesnt mean Mexican and brown.

I'm sure it will confuse them this white guy is being deported.
 
TheLaughingStock

TheLaughingStock

Member
Ridisc said:
I want to word this in a way that wont get me shouted at or accused or bigotry

So Ive read the article and the guy overstayed his visa, he is here illegally and he got himself found out by telling the world he is there illegally in a tv show and live streaming.

Human tragedy aside, because I agree it is tragic, didn't he break the law and deporting him is the correct decision?
Click to expand...

Yep until the law is changed by people who want to make all these exceptions.
 
J

Jotaka

Member
bad hombre / fear dona? (irish)

Don't forget about the
Korean-American,Adam Crapser, adopted as kid 37 yrs ago that got deported.
Or another korean-american Phillip Clay that got deported... and suicide jumping from a building
 
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