A Donegal man who has been living and working in Boston for more than 15 years is facing deportation to Ireland.
The 40-year-old, who does not want to be publicly identified, was detained by US immigration officials for violating his visa waiver.
He was taken into custody and brought to a detention center run by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following a driving-related conviction.
The man has two American-born children, aged 9 and 10, and has reportedly built a successful business in the Boston area.
The man’s lawyer is Boston-based immigration attorney John Foley. He told Donegal journalist, Keith Duggan of the Irish Times, that he pushed for the release of his client with an ankle bracelet and 24/7 monitoring but officials declined.
“No matter what I said, it didn’t matter. What I am shocked about is how there is no movement at all; there was no discretion at all,” Foley told the Irish Times.
“Never say never but before I went in, I thought there was a 10 per cent chance [of his release]. Now it is 1 per cent.”
The man originally traveled to the US in his early 20s on a visa waiver program. Under this program, visitors to the US can stay for tourism purposes for up to 90 days without a visa. The man did not return home at the end of his visa.
According to Foley, his client has not been back to Ireland in 16 years – since he was “a young guy.”
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