Abusive comments scare Bridie Murphy, the 80-year-old Galway woman
Posted on Thursday, September 23, 2010 at 03:54 PM
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Bridie Murphy, at the center of a tragic immigration snafu in Boston, is anxious to stand back from the firestorm that has erupted around her but she is deeply worried how people are perceiving her case.
The 80-year-old was stopped when entering the U.S. at Logan Airport andhad her green card confiscated. She was interrogated for over three hours.
She had lived back in Ireland for ten months with her son. Two other sons are in the U.S. army , one in the Middle East.
The elderly grandmother, who wears a pace maker and takes pills for high blood pressure, is said to be in a state of considerable anxiety about her unexpected change of fortune.
It has not helped that Murphy, who has lived exclusively in the United States with her American husband since 1979, has received a torrent of abuse from anti-immigrant forces on the internet, who have challenged her right to remain in the U.S. without hearing the details of her case.
"A lot of attention has been drawn to this case and Bridie is worried that an immigration backlash against her," Chris Lavery, an attorney who gives pro bono advice at The Irish Pastoral Center in Boston, told Irish Central.
"Bridie's a private person and she's also a bit overwhelmed. The fact that this became a big story so fast worries her. I have read on the blogs that people are asking why she didn't apply for citizenship. What they don't know is that U.S. citizenship is not that easy to obtain. You have to go through a complicated process to get it. You have to take tests. It's not that she didn't want citizenship, she has been here for many years, her husband and sons are U.S. citizens, and she didn't feel that needed it to prove she was herself. Now that this has happened she's become aware that she should have applied for it years ago. But she never made a choice not to do it."
Murphy has always paid her taxes, Lavery says, she’s a functioning member of the community (Murphy worked for the local Catholic school until just last year, 2009). She has held a green card since 1979 but she had been coming to the U.S. since the 1950's. Never did she imagine that the conditions of legal immigration here had changed so dramatically, nor did she reckon with the hardening of attitudes in recent years.
It turns out that any green card holder who has been out of the country for more than six months can be challenged about their intentions.
"Bridie made sure she got her green card, she followed through on that process in 1979," said Lavery. "At the age of 80 she wasn't aware that if she visited family in Ireland for six months she could be questioned about her residency and intentions when she returned to the U.S. Immigration officials didn't take the time to find out that’s her home and family, even her bank accounts were in the U.S. It's unbelievable."
Reflecting on the torrent of abuse she has received - some from fellow Irish Americans - Lavery said: "It sometimes amazes me how short some people's memories are. Our community is wonderful in coming together to support the Irish when they think it’s important. But a generation down the line and we tend to forget."
The two things that the public should learn from Murphy's plight is that it is difficult to obtain legal status in the United States, and that it has become even more difficult for people without status to come to the U.S. to work. It's just not obtainable anymore, Lavery says.
Lavery is hopeful that Murphy's predicament will be successfully resolved. "I feel when we bring this case to court and demonstrate how long Bridie has been here that they will let this case go away."
34 comments
Ajreaper | Sep 24, 2010, 02:10 PM EDT
An 80 year old grandmother returning from Ireland with a green card is detained and questioned for over 3 hours- are our immigration and homeland security folks that incompetent or just that bored? I am appalled as a tax payer that our money was and will be wasted further on this matter. Apparently for positions with homeland security the hiring slogan is "Nitwits please apply"
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haikued2 | Sep 24, 2010, 01:54 PM EDT
Anyone bad mouthing this lady should go live in another country...we don't need their stupidity here, there is enough in Washington DC right now.
PS..I am 72 years old, retired military, love the Tea Party Movement, and have two immigrant daughters in law...plus a son living and working in Ireland. Am I a terrorist, NO, I still want to hold onto the FREEDOM I grew up with and I think Bridie enjoyed as well.
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Guinnessboy | Sep 24, 2010, 01:53 PM EDT
I think people should show some compassion and care towards this lady, who emigrated to the US back in fifties like many of her countrymen and women, quite legally. Technically she strayed outside the law, but when you get to 80 years ago, you are not as sharp or quick which you once were. When she emigrated the world was much different place.I cant help but feel the US has embraced anti terrorism zeal, like it did with the communism threat during the fifties; and as a consequence genuine peolpe are being put in the mix with bin laden I feel very much for this lady and her family, and she made her own contribution to the US after emigrating. She is a living link to the great Irish American history, that exists peolpe our two peolpes, which has been echoed by George Washington, Ab Lincoln, Ben Franklin, to mention a few. In fact Ben Franklin, addressed the Irish parliament, petitioning support for American Independence and was greated enthusiastically.I consider that our two nations, two very good old friends, who go back a long way.
Good Bless Irish America and this lady.
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KMcSinger | Sep 24, 2010, 11:39 AM EDT
Th fact is, by law she did not have to apply for full citizenship. She can legally live and work in the US for the rest of her life with her greencard. She just has to be more aware about how much time she spends outside the country. There is no moral or legal reason that she has to apply for full citizenship if she doesn't want to.
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yrrab24 | Sep 24, 2010, 11:25 AM EDT
What a stupid comment!!!!!
"Welcome to the Republic of Corporate America."
More like Welcome to the NEW Liberal, socialistic America ---this is socialism at its best!
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JamesMurphy | Sep 24, 2010, 11:18 AM EDT
Citizenship, for Green Card holders, is a formality and an easy one at that. Declaring falsely that it is a "complicated process" is, well, false. We live in a democracy, not Byzantium.
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Flamenureyez777 | Sep 24, 2010, 10:59 AM EDT
I have started a formal petition at the petition site on care2.com to keep her in the US. Her treatment is totally unfair. Every day hundreds of illegals pour into our country and then live off our government with no repercussions yet this woman who has clearly laid roots here and has been a functioning member of our society is receiving deplorable treatment that should be reserved for terrorist and others who come here and wreak havoc on our economy!!!!!!!! Birdie I wish you all the best and God willing we will fight and get you thru this.
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Searlit | Sep 24, 2010, 10:17 AM EDT
Welcome to the Republic of Corporate America.
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babs1964 | Sep 24, 2010, 10:10 AM EDT
I think if she has a Green Card, what's the problem. I wish she could just live her life and not have to feel all this pressure at this point in her life.
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bowwowser | Sep 24, 2010, 09:43 AM EDT
She's been in the US for 60 years...has she caused any problems in those 60 years? Has she advocated overthrow of the government? Is she a prostitute? Is she a drug runner? Does she dabble in sales of weapons? Is she a counterfeiter? My guess is ,"No" to all of the above. (Perhaps I have missed something illicit or illegal in this woman's life.) What she is ...is an "easy target!" She isn't going to pull the "race card," she doesn't have any hoodlum friends who are going to chase down the immigration officials and threaten them, she will not cause any out-of-control riots, she doesn't have any country's leader demanding she be allowed to stay because they "say so!" I could continue in this vein for several more sentences, but, hopefully, SOMEONE sees the picture.....she has her green card; she was given the "go ahead", initially, to leave the country for the desired amount of time, and yet, she, a little, old, white-haired "granny" is "caught. She had no "ulterior motives!" She was completely above board in her actions. Why can't the US gov't do as well with the influx of CRIMINAL illegals? Because THEY will fight back with their protests, marches, riots, screams of "racism", ad nauseam.
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phoenixnurse | Sep 24, 2010, 09:36 AM EDT
Leave this sweet lady alone! She is a productive, good woman, who raised her children, contributed to her community, and caused no harm to anyone. She came here legally and had a "Green Card". For God's sake, what is wrong here? She went about her business and is a law abiding person. Give her back her Green Card and go after the real illegals and terrorists...NOT "SWEET" old ladies.... This is an outrage!
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tomgallagher | Sep 24, 2010, 09:23 AM EDT
Malarkey, she could have had dual citizenship in a heartbeat.
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stephendoyle | Sep 24, 2010, 09:12 AM EDT
Having 2 children serving in the military gives her more right to be in this country than most Americans. It is appalling what happened to her and profound apoligies are owned this woman.
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clevelander | Sep 24, 2010, 09:00 AM EDT
Her choice is not to become a American Citizen. My Parents have been in the States for 45 years and are not Citizens because they choose not to. My Brother made the same choice. My Wife has been here for 10 years and has no intention of becoming a Citizen. By doing this yes they are subject to all the negative aspects this brings. And they are aware of them. But this case seems a little over the top. And yes my parents, brother and my wife love this country and plan to stay here, they just choose not to be citizens, as they have the right to.
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