Sir, – We in the Immigrant Council of Ireland, like many across Ireland, were heartened to read about the revocation of Nonso Muojeke's deportation order ("Offaly student 'overwhelmed' after deportation order revoked", News, October 11th).
Nonso has lived in Ireland since he was two years old after his mother fled Nigeria with him and his older brother. The case was most memorably taken up by his dedicated community and especially his classmates, who campaigned ferociously to overturn the deportation order.
While today their community in Tullamore are celebrating, it’s important to remember there are 100s of Nonsos in Ireland, living in limbo while they await a crucial immigration decision. Many who, like Nonso, have only ever known Ireland as their home.
Minister for Justice and Equality Charles Flanagan used his discretionary powers to revoke the deportation order, which does not address the core problem. The Immigrant Council of Ireland has long been calling for clear, humane guidelines for immigrant children and their families so they know the criteria they need to meet and how they should apply.
The system of registration for migrant children is extremely unclear and no guidance is published by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service on the residence permission that will be given in any particular case. What is urgently needed is a single specific agency or contact point to take responsibility for providing information and legal advice on immigration to children and those supporting them. It is equally imperative the State includes long-term undocumented children and their families in their thinking.
It would be extremely timely to examine and improve these systems as right now, many students are grappling with SUSI further education grants. However, many migrant children do not qualify and this can spell the end to their third-level education aspirations, even when they’ve been living legally in Ireland for over a decade.
Children like Nonso who have lived in Ireland for years are just as likely to want to attend college, further their education and continue contributing to Irish society. We need a fairer immigration system to ensure they can do so. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN KILLORAN,
Chief Executive,
Immigrant Council
of Ireland,
Andrew Street,
Dublin 2.