INTO Branch Opposes Tactics Of Deportation Cops

national | racism & migration related issues | news report

Wednesday July 27, 2005 11:38

by Gregor Kerr - WSM

The Dublin City North Branch of the INTO has passed a motion endorsing the call by outgoing union president, Austin Corcoran, that all schools become safe places for all children -to be given the status of embassies. It is hoped that more branches within the union will take up this issue and that by next year's annual congress a campaign will be launched in the union to make this a reality.

People throughout the country were shocked at the inhumanity of Michael McDowell's deportation policy when before Easter this year a plane-load of Nigerians were ripped from the communities in which they had been living for the last number of years and thrown out of the country. In particular the case of Leaving Cert. student, Kunle Elukanlo, struck a chord with large sections of the public.

Kunle's fellow-students were not content to simply allow this to happen to their classmate and friend. By organising themselves and by taking their protests to the streets they forced the Minister for Justice into an about-turn and Kunle had to be returned to Ireland. Equally shocking for many people were the stories -from Athlone, Monaghan and Kerry -of immigration cops entering schools in an aggressive manner looking for children who they wished to deport. It shocked teachers and parents alike to think that this could happen.

All parents like to think that their children are safe when they send them to school, and that they are going to return home safely. Imagine the horror for young children seeing their classmates being wrenched from among them. Imagine the horror for those children who are removed from their school in this manner.

At the annual congress of the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO),these actions by the gardai were roundly condemned by the outgoing president, Austin Corcoran, who called for schools to become safe places for all children -to be given the status of embassies. This would mean that cops would not be entitled to come in to schools looking for people they want to deport.

Now the Dublin City North Branch of the INTO has passed a motion endorsing this call and it is hoped that more branches within the union will take up this issue and that by next year's annual congress a campaign will be launched in the union to make this a reality.

The full text of the motion passed is: Dublin City North INTO 1.Condemns the actions of immigration authorities who earlier this year entered schools seeking children for deportation.

2.Endorses the statement by outgoing INTO president Austin Corcoran at Congress 2005 that "Parents should have an assurance that when their children are sent to school they will not be abducted from their place of learning by the state."

3.Further endorses the call of Austin Corcoran for schools to be given the status of embassies and calls on the CEC and all sections of the INTO to campaign to make this a reality.

4.Agrees to circulate this motion to all branches of the INTO seeking their support on this issue. Similar motions being passed by parents' organisations and committees would help strengthen the call so if you a parents' association, you know someone who is, maybe you too could take on this issue

Gregor Kerr - Member Dublin City North INTO (personal capacity)

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Comments (4 of 4)

Hear hear

by Teacher Guy

Wed Jul 27, 2005 16:42

Presumably gardai need permission from the headmaster/mistress or a search warrant to enter a school. After all, if teachers are in loco parentis, the school is then "in loco domus". What parent would allow the goon squad in to kidnap their children?

Also, I don't know if this is common knowledge or if it has been a subject on another thread, but in the US, for example, police are explicitly forbidden from enquiring about immigration matters. The reasoning is that they cannot expect co-operation from the public on matters of crime if some members of the public are in fear of them simply by virtue of their presence. I have seen gardai assuring immigrants in criminal investigations that they are not concerned with their residence status but I doubt if the immigrants believed them.

We are lagging behind in this separation of powers.

(I'm open to correction on all of the above.)

No thats wrong

by Al

Wed Jul 27, 2005 20:08

For starters the school cannot be an embassy. An embassy of where? An embassy is considered to be native soil of that particular nation therefore not part of the Irish republic. Please explain how a school can be an embassy or enjoy such status. If it did then Gardai wouldnt have powers to enter in the event of a seige, kidnapping, hostage taking, etc, etc. Thats logical.

The reason the gardai went to the schools is because the parents had declared that they do not care for their children or do not know there location. In the most recent case the parents claimed they didnt know where the child was and hadnt given permission for the child to be removed from school. Such acts fall under child negligence, missing children and kidnapping. All garda matters regardless of deportation status.

I like the idea of having a seperate agency delaing with deportation orders. Makes sense.

Child Negligence

by Answering Machine

Wed Aug 03, 2005 14:54

If a policeman who obviously intends to deport you and/or your children asks you where your children are of course you say you don't know. It doesn't mean you don't know and it doesn't mean you don't care. I don't know if it is really worth repsonding to your comment as you appear to believe it is negligent to send one's children to school...

Oh, soooo responsible

Wed Aug 03, 2005 22:34

And its responsible parenting to leave your child in a foreign country?

A, They stated they didnt know where the child was.

B, Child was taken by a person from the school.

C, Parents said they didnt authorise their child to be removed.

A, is abandonment. B + C is kidnapping.

So, in your opinion the Gardai should just walk away from this type of incident do you? Do you often leave your child at home and leave the country? Or do you simple leave your kids in the costa del sol?

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INTO Branch Opposes Tactics Of Deportation Cops

Comments (4 of 4)