February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
While Malachy McAllister and his four children can certainly celebrate the fact they are still together in America, they cannot for a minute be sure that this will continue to be the case.
The family’s life has been an extraordinary one by any standards. There have been good days of course, but also very sad ones, most especially two years ago with the death of Malachy’s wife, Bernadette.
There was hope following that tragedy that the U.S. might show a little heart and let Bernadette’s husband and children stay in the country free from the fear of deportation.
But the case dragged on through the courts. An appeals court decision earlier this year went against the family, though one of the judges expressed heartfelt sympathy and expressed the view that Malachy McAllister posed no threat to the nation’s security.
The Supreme Court declined to take up the case, thus throwing it fully into the lap of the Department of Homeland Security.
It is to be hoped that the department will find cause, in the very near future, to lift the threat of deportation that hangs over Malachy McAllister and two of his children, both of whom are well on their way to becoming valuable contributors to their community even though they cannot be sure from one day to the next if they can safely look forward to an assured American life.