King Speaks For McAllister

CONGRESSMAN Peter King has not been flavor of the month in recent times in Irish American circles because of his right wing stance on immigration matters.

However, the Long Island Republican, now chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in the House, is still a fierce advocate for Northern Irish political figures caught up in the post-9/11 atmosphere.

His latest intervention was a letter to Michael Chertoff, head of Homeland Security, after a federal court ruled that it could not stop the deportation proceedings of Malachy McAllister, the New Jersey-based former IRA operative who fled for his life from Northern Ireland after an assassination attempt in 1985 when 26 shots were fired into his home.

“I respectfully request you exercise your discretion by taking quick action to suspend the deportation proceedings against Malachy McAllister and his family,” King wrote.

“As you are aware ... the United States Court of Appeal denied Malachy McAllister’s petition. However, I urge you to take a close look at Judge Maryanne Barry’s words. Judge Barry concludes, ‘I cannot find a way to keep the McAllister in this country and I have surely tried.’”

King notes that he has known McAllister for 10 years and that he presents no threat to the United States.

If he were just another member of the House King’s letter might not mean a whole lot, but as he is now one of the most powerful men in the country on the issue of Homeland Security he certainly has a much more effective voice.

It will be interesting indeed to see if his letter has the desired impact.

Testing the Florida Waters

THE Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform will certainly be testing new waters when the group brings its roadshow to Fort Lauderdale, Florida next month.

Right now a major meeting of Irish in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area is scheduled for mid-May in an effort to influence the immigration debate.

Senator Mel Martinez, the Cuban-born senator who has become the most progressive voice in the Senate next to John McCain on the Republican side on this issue, is expected to speak.

Martinez escaped from Cuba as a child and is one of only two Hispanics in the U.S. Senate. He has warned his own party that they are in deep danger of alienating the Hispanic vote for a generation unless they are responsive on the immigration issue.

Though Florida is primarily thought of as a massive Hispanic state, the Irish population, according to the 2000 census, is almost 14%. The Fort Lauderdale area in particular is a hotbed of Irish bars and businesses, with many young Irish and retirees also in the area.

The annual Irish festival in Fort Lauderdale attracts tens of thousands ever year. Local Irish chairperson Sheila Hynes, who for decades was a major Irish events organizer in New York, has done a tremendous job in the area of promoting Irish culture there.

Debate Resumes

THE immigration debate will reach a new level when Congress resumes on Monday, April 24, but it may be early May before we have a clear picture of where the debate is headed.

The Senate has other business until the first week in May and then it will became an issue of whether both parties decide to bring immigration back up on the floor, or go through the Senate Judiciary Committee and its chairman Arlen Specter.

Specter has already stated that he will seek to bring the bill back before his committee on May 4 and begin a debate there which could last a few weeks.

However, Senators John McCain and Edward Kennedy are said to be anxious that the bill comes on the floor rather than a return to the committee, where they believe it could be bottlenecked.

It is important to note that Senator Bill Frist, who is the Senate majority leader, retained the right when the Senate bill failed to bring it back onto the floor for a new debate.

We can expect much behind the scenes maneuvering to go on in the weeks ahead.

Easter 1916 Celebrations

THE celebrations of the 1916 Easter Rising went amazingly well in Ireland, but we should not overlook the successful events organized here in New York by the Irish government to mark the occasion.

The final event of the commemoration was packed to capacity at as New York University. Professor Joe Lee, surely one of the most entertaining and knowledgeable historians Ireland has ever produced, held the capacity crowd of over 300 spellbound.

Other events featured Senator Martin Mansergh, who has become one of the most authoritative voices on the Easter Rising (as well as a prospective member of Parliament in the next election in Ireland). Mansergh wrote a glowing piece in his Irish Times column on the success of the week in New York.

There was also a gala dinner at the American Irish Historical Society on Fifth Avenue which was attended by many Irish notables. All in all a tremendous turnout for a very special commemoration.