N.J. man gets reprieve on deportation to Northern Ireland
Posted By: April 22, 2016
TRENTON — A former member of a paramilitary group in Northern Ireland who fled to New Jersey has received a temporary reprieve after federal officials sought to deport him.
Malachy McAllister is being given “prosecutorial discretion” by the federal Department of Homeland Security that puts off immigration proceedings until March 2017, according to U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-9th Dist.).
“This is a big deal for a guy who’s paid his dues, came to America with a family after going through an excruciating situation and paid his debt to society,” Pascrell said in a telephone interview Thursday. “He’s of no threat to the United States whatsoever.”
McAllister, a stone mason and New York City bar owner who lives in Rutherford, has been seeking political asylum in the United States for two decades, citing his experiences during the tumultuous period of civil strife in Northern Ireland.
U.S. lawmakers have taken up the case of Malachy McAllister, who has lived in New Jersey for two decades.
He had served time in prison for his role in attacks on British police officers by an Irish Republican Army splinter group, the Irish National Liberation Army, in the 1980s. He was later released early on good behavior.
He fled Northern Ireland with his family after their home was attacked by pro-British paramilitary forces in 1988, first seeking asylum in Canada. After his request was denied, he came to New Jersey in 1996.
The Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in April 2006 turned down McAllister’s request for asylum, and he has been fighting deportation ever since with the help of supporters on Capitol Hill, including Pascrell and U.S. Sen. Robert Menedez (D-NJ).
Both lawmakers and others had asked Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, a New Jersey native, to intervene in the case.
Earlier this month, McAllister was told to report to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in Newark on April 25 so authorities could remove him from the country. Pascrell and Menendez then introduced legislation designed to block ICE officials from removing McAllister, but the DHS decision has bought him time, the lawmakers said.
“This was too close of a call, but I am glad that the Department of Homeland Security will not remove Mr. McAllister,” Menendez said Thursday, adding that McAllister’s family “has gone through enough already.”
Menendez and Pascrell said they would work with the DHS and McAllisters to find “a long term resolution.”
