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80-year-old Irish woman detained by U.S. immigration

Two sons in U.S. military -- loses her green card

CATHY HAYES,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Wednesday, September 22, 2010, 7:37 AM

Updated Thursday, September 23, 2010, 9:41 AM

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80-year-old Bridie Murphy

An 80-year old Irish woman who has lived in Boston for sixty years was detained at Logan Airport after coming back from a ten-month stay in Ireland, stripped of her green card and could still be placed in deportation proceedings.

The case of Bridie Murphy , originally from Galway, who has two sons serving in the armed forces, one of them currently serving in the Middle East was reported in The Irish Emigrant newspaper.

She had gone back to Ireland to spend time with one of her children who moved there. On her way back she was told her green card was no longer valid because she had stayed out of America too long.

She was traveling alone and was said to be deeply shocked by how she was treated.

Before she left for Ireland she had visited US Citizenship and Immigration Services offices in Boston.

“I was told by them that since I was not going to be out for a full year, I would not need a reentry permit.” she told Kieran O’ Sullivan, Immigration Counselor at the Irish Pastoral Centre in Quincy, MA.

A re-entry permit is issued when a green card holder is leaving the US for up to two years, which Mrs. Murphy never intended to do.

Chris Lavery, an immigration attorney for the Irish Pastoral Centre said:

“Unfortunately, this is an example of overzealous immigration authorities applying the letter of the law in a manner that defies logic. A moment’s thought and compassion could have avoided a great deal of stress and worry for Bridie.”

Mrs. Murphy was later let free but her Green Card was taken from her. Lavery said he will represent her her free of charge at her upcoming hearing. He hopes to have her Green Card handed back.

“I’m very glad that organizations like the Irish Pastoral Centre are there to spot cases like this and help people like Bridie. I am very confident that the Immigration Court will take a very dim view of the immigration authorities for wasting its time with this case.” Lavery told The Irish Emigrant.

Meanwhile he is asks that people who know Bridie Murphy personally, write letters in support of her case. These will be presented to the judge at the hearing.

Nster.com

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Itsfunny | Oct 26, 2010, 07:06 AM EDT

>>>Unfortunately, this is an example of overzealous immigration authorities applying the letter of the law in a manner that defies logic. A moment’s thought and compassion could have avoided a great deal of stress and worry for Bridie<<< Ah. So, the US should treat people differently than the Irish Immigration services treats those seeking the same in Ireland? Why? It's sometimes sad to see things like this where everyone says "ah shame the poor lass/lad badly treated by the Immigration office", "Irish government insists Obama grant naturalization to the 30'000 Irish in Boston with uncertain status" - and yet look at the shambles that is Irish immigration and border control. One man makes decisions based on nothing more than whether he had a good bowel movement in the morning, let alone legitimate and transparent reasons. At least the 'merkins are open and transparent with their border control and immigration process.

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kaydog1 | Sep 30, 2010, 05:03 PM EDT

I wish this fine lady all the best, and I hope she's able to resolve the situation to her satisfaction. To anyone with a Green Card, I would advise you to take the plunge-the rules change ALL the time. I have SEEN 20 year legal perm. residents ordered to leave the country after pleading guilty to non-violent offences like tax avoidence, medicare fraud, etc, leaving family and jobs behind. Obama's Illegal Alien Aunt Zeituni was allowed to stay in her Boston public housing, but she has connections, do you ? To 'HughesDohman' I would say I don't understand your crack about Wisconsin, but you can save your 'birther' comments until AFTER we get to see the long form. A recent CNN pole said 41% of Republicans and 15% of Democrats believe Obama was born outside the USA. Absent the numbers of Independent voters not mentioned, it suggests some 56% of the public fall into that 'birther' segment. When the Conservatives get in, perhaps we'll see some real proof one way or the other, okay?

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sfergus | Sep 25, 2010, 04:17 PM EDT

posted by W.P. Yeats Sept. 25 Everyone seams to have there owen opinion about this situation which is fine.I on the other hand would like to offer up a solution.Bridie Murphy my have my U.S. Citizenship in exchange for her Irish Citizenship and let the U.S. Government deport me!!!

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Niall O'Dowd | Sep 25, 2010, 03:21 AM EDT

with all due respect to Bridie Murphy's daughter we stand by the accuracy of the story 100 per cent. The quote we use is what was supplied by the Irish immigration center in Boston, she was detained by immigration exactly as we stated and her green card was taken. I fully respect the fact that it is a tough time for her family but blaming the media for an accurate report is also unfair.

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ladyliberty | Sep 25, 2010, 12:01 AM EDT

seems like sometimes these articles are less than accurate and l think that is awaste or time for me to read thoe things. Perhape there should be more inspection of the news before it is printed.

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shuvonn | Sep 24, 2010, 08:09 PM EDT

mollymguire: I hate to have to break it to you, YOU'RE sympathy is not needed nor required. She is NOT illegal, and regardless of the number of years she is here, NO one has the right to have an opinion on her not applying for citizenship, NONE of your beeswax! HER decision to NOT become a citizen is NONE of anyone's business except HER OWN! GOT IT ??? Ship her back? Good job YOU do NOT get to decide her fate. I should not even bother to respond to you considering your ignorance and stupidity.

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HughesDohmann | Sep 24, 2010, 11:05 AM EDT

Hey, I've heard you should watch out if you drive through Wisconsin with out of state plates so not surprising attitudes are in play. Look at the birthers. What a bunch of goofs there my friends. Greetings from a happy half Irish-American.

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GeorgeDillon | Sep 24, 2010, 10:38 AM EDT

siouxliz: You should know that the Green Card can be removed from you rather easily. US citizenship, in contrast, is very hard to lose. It's your call. As to why you don't identify with the US even tho it's given you a living for decades, that's weird, but it's not my business. Try going back to Ireland for a while, and see how Irish you feel. I know at least two Irish who went back during the boom years but came screaming back to the US within a year. Ireland treats its returned emigrants very badly, and irish people don't like Irish-Americans.

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Silear06 | Sep 24, 2010, 05:45 AM EDT

This lady is my mother. The inaccuracies in this piece are amazing and my family don't really appreciate my mother's story being blown out of proportion for the sensationalisation of the subject.They may be minor points but I'd like to address them nonetheless: (a) The immigration offical in Logan DID NOT hassle my mother, in fact she deliberatly said that he was very kind and understanding, she just got confused and worried and that led to her surrendering her Green Card. (b) My mother has never uttered the words "re-entry permit". (c)My mother definitely was surprised at any question being asked of her and her Green Card, she has travelled hassle free for years with it and it WAS her understanding that this time would be the same. She also understood, when told, that the card was "old and unscanable", but she didn't know what to do about updating it.(d)Her Green Card is precious to her, she feels she fought for it and it's her pride and joy. Yes, she deserves to have it back but not at the expense of this being a circus act. She and all of us appreciate the support of everyone who's behind her, but I ask please that she not be made an example of, she's worked and devoted too much time, love and energy to the US to be made an example of.She's almost 80 years old, has nothing but good things to say about America, I hope that when this is all over she feels the same way. She married and had three of us in Boston, my youngest brother born in Ireland became a Citizen. I hope this has a positve ending, my mother is too old to have to suffer this type of hassle from media and authorities alike.

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siouxliz | Sep 23, 2010, 03:39 PM EDT

Why is it people think that if you live in a country legally you have to become a citizen? The dual-citizen thing is not black and white. Technically the US doesn't recognize it, they need you to always use your your American passport on entry/departure. It's just that your original citizenship is not taken away unless you revoke it. Also some of us, living in the US for years legally, paying taxes etc, don't necessarily want to swear an oath to forswear allegiance to any foreign nation, when in reality we still feel Irish, British, French etc. In my own case I didn't make a conscious decision to immigrate to the US (as in forever) I came over for a job my ex husband had been offered. For a variety of reasons (mostly family) I am still here 30 years later. I like America (not always the attitudes ) bit don't feel American, even though I am now married to one. I feel forced into getting an American passport for convenience - it isn't how I imagine you should feel while waving th flag, but I know a lot of people who have done this out of fear ( so they won't have Bridie's experience, so they won't be done out of their pension etc). This is a sad commentary on the state of immigration today (and no the US is not alone in this but the perception of the "melting pot" is so not true today),

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GeorgeDillon | Sep 23, 2010, 02:41 PM EDT

I have to smile at the Irish posters telling us how to run Immigration. Ireland is a poster boy for how NOT to control immigration--the place has the highest percentage of foreigners in Europe, much higher than the US, incidentally. Many of them are illegal, lots of them scamming off a bankrupt country. The Irish "system" is so crazy that the government has to ask permission of an illegal alien before they deport them. And guess what! Lots of illegal aliens don 't give their permission, and are allowed remain. Put your own chaotic house in order before you tell us what to do, dopes.

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peterson | Sep 23, 2010, 12:48 PM EDT

Disgusting !!!!!

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Mollyanne | Sep 23, 2010, 11:34 AM EDT

Not a but surprised as the US immigration are a law unto themselves I have travelled a lot of countries and never came across anything like them, no respect for anyone I pity that poor woman at her age and after spending 60 years there and 2 sons in service, what else do people want??

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bowwowser | Sep 23, 2010, 09:32 AM EDT

HURRAH!! Now we know how well our country is being protected!! Good on ya, immigration! You caught a real dangerous one here, didn't you?! This is like being stopped and searched at all of the airports because I'm a short, white-haired, blue-eyed Irish "granny", certainly fitting all the profile characteristics of terrorists and illegals. Do you suppose now, PERHAPS, immigration could get on with finding and deporting some of the REAL illegals invading us?

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GeorgeDillon | Sep 23, 2010, 02:37 AM EDT

profjulienne -- Your speculation about this woman is patronizing and rude. You know nothing about her. My point is that if old ladies from Ethiopia to Bolivia can struggle with the English language and their ignorance of American culture in order to take up citizenship, why would not an English-speaker, for whom the Citizenship exam is a breeze, have taken it out long ago? I attended a friend's Citizenship swearing-in a while back. I was moved to see all those diverse nationalities, from Peru to Pakistan, so proud of their new citizenship. Those who say it's expensive now are particularly dumb, since the whole point is why she didn't take out citizenship long ago.

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