No word from the feds yet on whether they'll 'fess up to their mistakes and let Father Cathal Gallagher keep preaching in Kingsbury County. The folks around DeSmet have been working hard to keep the government from deporting the Irish priest, gathering signatures, contacting our elected officials, and, according to the latest (June 9) update on the "Help Father" website, appealing to the regional immigration office in Nebraska for a re-opening of Father Gallagher's application for permanent residency. The Lincoln office held a hearing on the case last week and is expected to issue a ruling within days.
There's no guarantee this will help, but the case is getting some wider press. New York's Irish Voice and Irish Echo have picked up the story. The story gets coverage in Dublin's Irish Times and a mention from the venerable BBC. Let's hope some more positive attention comes Father Gallgher's way to stave off his July 1 deportation date.
This is ridiculous. The gov't does nothing actually to deport the known illegals here already, in fact gives them benefits at our expense. But it wants to deport a legal immigrant, who because of the gov't's own mistakes, now faces deportation. He is here legally, is a contributing and probably tax-paying member of the community, and deserves to stay here. Unless the gov't wants to round up all the illegals and ship them out, many of whom are criminals. Really makes us trust the gov't to do what is right, doesn't it??
ReplyDeleteFr Gallagher is a hard working priest - I was so impressed withhim when I had the opportunity to visit with him for an afternoon at a meeting recently. I was not aware of the immigration issue then - he never mentioned it to the group. Let's hope our congressional people can help -- Lee Schoenbeck
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