Madam, - I was distressed to read the report on the deportation of Nigerians in your edition of March 16th.
I do not disagree with the deportation of illegals after due process but the method of so doing seems to be quite crude in some cases.
Particularly harrowing in your report is the case of Iyabo Nwanze who, apparently, was unable to collect her son from school. Surely she could have been escorted to the school to collect her son? Olunkunle Eluhanla, due to sit his Leaving Certificate, was apparently deported in his school uniform, while Portia Osadiede was another student of promise.
Much has been written about Nigerians in Ireland, some of it unfavourable. If illegal - or indeed legal - immigrants are found to be criminals, then they, like any other foreign nationals should of course be considered liable for deportation.
However, to tar an entire nation with the same brush of opprobrium smacks of bigotry of the worst kind. The case of "aged-out" minors seems to me to be a very special area for consideration. Ireland, like all other "developed" nations, cannot and should not try to escape from being a cosmopolitan nation. As such it needs talented people from abroad, but on the other hand it should not have a policy of cherry-picking.
Our own history should make us even more aware than many other nations of our duties in this regard. - Yours, etc.,
Fr BRENDAN COONEY, Rome, Italy.
Madam, - The deportation of our fellow global citizens by the Irish State must be challenged by anyone with a sense of decency and compassion. The particular deportation of a young man who has settled in the State for over three years and was due to sit his Leaving Cert examination in two months is nothing short of heartbreaking. A young man eager to learn and expand his opportunities, who has done no wrong except attempt to claim asylum from a war-torn country and continent has been dealt a devastating blow by the Irish State.
Minister for Justice McDowell has preached from a moral podium all month about criminality in the Irish State, but the refusal to grant this young man and other global citizens the opportunity to develop their capabilities and live a full and fruitful life in our prosperous country is a crime against humanity.
It is high time that such draconian immigration policies where challenged. We cannot fool ourselves into believing we are a country of smiles and welcomes any longer. In the dark of the night and out of public sight we condemn human beings to a lesser life and banish them from a country they have settled in, studied in and worked in for up to five years.
This week is European week against Racism. Tacking racism is a must; removing it from Government policies is a necessity. Stopping the deportations of our fellow global citizens is a beginning. - Yours, etc.,
AIDAN REGAN,
Aylesbury,
Tallaght,
Dublin 24.