Ten Irish nationals have been deported from the United States for overstaying their visas.
The ten are known to have been living and working in Boston.
The Irish Consulate in Boston confirmed the group had been deported for violating US immigration rules.
The group left the US last night after being told they cannot return to the country for ten years. The move will be seen as further evidence of a clampdown on immigration by the US authorities in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks.
The eight women and two men are reported to have been taken off a train in Buffalo, New York, by immigration officers when returning to Boston from Chicago, where they had been competing in the GAA national games.
It is understood they had entered the United States on the visa waiver programme which permits Irish citizens to stay in the US for up to 90 days, but not to work.
Some had overstayed their 90 days by just weeks; others had been living and working in the country illegally for a number of years.
