Boston-based Irish International Immigrant Center does the unspeakable Read mor

[FL/MAYO]

Unreal stuff from this Irish immigration group based in Boston, bullies to put it mildly    

http://www.irishcentral.com/story/news/periscope/young-irish-woman-turned-in-to-us-authorities-by-irish-immigrant-support-group---boston-based-irish-international-immigrant-center-does-the-unspeakable--208627761.html

A Boston-based, Irish government funded immigrant's rights organization has turned a young Irish girl in to U.S. authorities because she worked in a bar in contradiction of her visa terms.

The Irish International Immigrant Center (IIIC) received $253,000 in Irish government funding to help immigrants in 2011. They also received funding from the American Ireland Fund.

In all my years covering the Irish American community I have never seen such a callous act inflicted on a young Irish immigrant by an Irish organization allegedly established to help young immigrants.

They informed on her to the U.S. State Department after tracking an article she wrote for this publication about her life in America where she stated she tried to make ends meet by working in a bar. She is here legally on a year-long J-1 student visa.

In a harshly worded letter that she received yesterday, the IIIC stated that her visa was revoked and demanded that she immediately book passage home and leave the country by mid June.




The letter reads like a missive that immigration authorities would be proud of and the specter of an Irish immigrant rights group (allegedly) playing immigration cop on a vulnerable young woman is a sad one to behold.

The alleged immigrant rights organization made over $1 million processing visas in the last year for Irish students on the J-1 visa which allows recent college students or graduates to work in the U.S. for one year.

Boston Irish sources say the IIIC is known for nasty and bullying letters which are often received by new legal emigrants for very minor transgressions. Apparently because they profit heavily from every emigrant they process they also feel the need to spy on bully and cajole those they think have stepped out of line in order to preserve their cash cow.

Our young intern just happened to be working for us which is why we came across this dreadful betrayal; who knows how many others have stories to tell about the IIIC?

I would urge great caution for any would-be immigrant or present immigrant in approaching this organization.

What they have done to this young woman -- and who knows how many others they have bullied -- is far outside the pale for an Irish organization, especially one funded by the Irish taxpayer. 

The IIIC was formerly run by Sister Lena Deevey, a much acknowledged woman in the Irish American community who recently retired.

An Irish agency acting as immigration enforcers rather than helping immigrants is a new wrinkle for an Irish group. Monitoring Irish American media looking for "offenders" is positively despicable and  McCarthy-like.

Perhaps they can go the whole hog and get an U.S. immigration enforcement  officer on their staff and nab the undocumented as they arrive.

The new IIIC director is Ronnie Miller, and he seemed positively delighted to tell me yesterday how they had caught this awful girl in the dreadful act of working in a bar to make ends meet.

He knows damn well of course because students find it impossible to survive on intern's wages that many have to find a way to supplement their income. The J1 visa is a very flawed vehicle in this regard but the lack of basic humanity in how these people deal with students is appalling to witness.

I asked friend Ronnie if it was decent at this time of great hope for immigration reform -- at a time when President Obama has suspended almost all deportations of young people -- that the IIIC would ruin a young Irish woman's American dream by turning her in, informer-style, to U.S. authorities.
He said he did not want to discuss the matter any further.

An IIC employee, Jude Clarke, a Northern Ireland native like Miller, admitted he had monitored Irish media and saw that the young girl had written she worked in a bar, in addition to interning here at IrishCentral.

Shortly afterwards she received a letter signed by another genius, Ann Marie Byrne, director of the IIIC's Learning Exchange Programs, demanding that she immediately buy a ticket to leave the U.S.
Playing the immigration officer, Byrne demanded the girl be gone from the U.S. by June 19, 2013.

In all my 30 years in the Irish American media, finding an Irish organization that turns in one of its own for a very minor breach of a visa issue is a new low.

It is also unique to find an organization that so cheerfully defends its jackboot tactics and gets substantial Irish government funding while dashing the dreams of young people.

Shame on them, and on the Irish government if it continues to fund this organization which picks on defenseless Irish immigrants and turns them in.

If you would like to contact the IIIC they are at 617 542 7654 or Facebook. For more visit their website, iiicenter.org.

See more: Irish News ,   Irish Immigration Center ,   Irish immigration ,   Boston Local ,   Irish in Boston ,   Irish in New York

Read more: http://www.irishcentral.com/story/news/periscope/young-irish-woman-turned-in-to-us-authorities-by-irish-immigrant-support-group---boston-based-irish-international-immigrant-center-does-the-unspeakable--208627761.html#ixzz2U96TMigm
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[muppet]

For those who didn't follow the link, the article was written by Niall O'Dowd.

Pretty damning criticism given how much he has campaigned for Irish emigrants.

Here is the letter:

[Rossfan]

If you're in some country illegally..... you can't complain if they turf you out.

[muppet]

If you're in some country illegally..... you can't complain if they turf you out.

They didn't, the organisation we set up and pay for to look after them did. http://iiicenter.org

[Rossfan]

Why should we be paying money to "look after" people who break the laws of another Country?

[muppet]

Why should we be paying money to "look after" people who break the laws of another Country?

[Rossfan]

Very funny ha ha.
But why am I paying to "look after"  people who basically illegally break and enter another Country?

[muppet]

Very funny ha ha.
But why am I paying to "look after"  people who basically illegally break and enter another Country?

You will now be paying that person's dole. How does that make you feel?

[leenie]

Very harsh

I'm hoping to return to Boston next yr after a ten year break am planning to go on the exact date I left 10 yrs ago .,.. For nostalgic reasons of course

[Puckoon]

I am sympathetic to the plight of this girl, but there's quite a bit of this she has brought on by herself.

1. You choose to sign a CONTRACT stating you understand you are prohibited from working in any area or extra job for which you are not currently sponsored to work in
2. Said contract states that you "promise" (what the f**k is that about anyway, promises?) to comply with the rules, GOVERNMENT regulations, IIIC guidelines and policies of the J-1 Irish work and travel program.
3. You IGNORE points 1 and 2 (ok, you're taking a risk here)
4. You broadcast on social media that you are working in a position, and in a place where you are not authorised to work, under a visa which was provided to you via the IIIC on behalf of the American Government (this is my understanding of her visa).

Now, maybe I am naive in this, or maybe I just dealt with visas in a smaller Irish community, where everyone was legal and squared away. This isn't just some visa she applied for herself and got touted on for breaking immigration rules. This is a visa she applied for through a program (granted, these people seem incredibly rigid) and she is flaunting the program rules. It's tough on these visas, no denial. I lived on Ramen noodles sleeping on a mattress for a full year, making 800$ a month and under the rules of the program I accepted a visa on I could not work anywhere else. I also couldn't experiment with drugs, nor get into a relationship with someone under 21 (I was 21 at the time). This wasn't written down anywhere, but the man in charge made it perfectly clear that we were here with HIS help and under HIS rules.

The problem with rules is that everyone has an exception that makes perfect sense from their perspective. Once everyone wants an exception, there's no rules any more.

[FL/MAYO]

I am sympathetic to the plight of this girl, but there's quite a bit of this she has brought on by herself.

1. You choose to sign a CONTRACT stating you understand you are prohibited from working in any area or extra job for which you are not currently sponsored to work in
2. Said contract states that you "promise" (what the f**k is that about anyway, promises?) to comply with the rules, GOVERNMENT regulations, IIIC guidelines and policies of the J-1 Irish work and travel program.
3. You IGNORE points 1 and 2 (ok, you're taking a risk here)
4. You broadcast on social media that you are working in a position, and in a place where you are not authorised to work, under a visa which was provided to you via the IIIC on behalf of the American Government (this is my understanding of her visa).

Now, maybe I am naive in this, or maybe I just dealt with visas in a smaller Irish community, where everyone was legal and squared away. This isn't just some visa she applied for herself and got touted on for breaking immigration rules. This is a visa she applied for through a program (granted, these people seem incredibly rigid) and she is flaunting the program rules. It's tough on these visas, no denial. I lived on Ramen noodles sleeping on a mattress for a full year, making 800$ a month and under the rules of the program I accepted a visa on I could not work anywhere else. I also couldn't experiment with drugs, nor get into a relationship with someone under 21 (I was 21 at the time). This wasn't written down anywhere, but the man in charge made it perfectly clear that we were here with HIS help and under HIS rules.

The problem with rules is that everyone has an exception that makes perfect sense from their perspective. Once everyone wants an exception, there's no rules any more.

Yes she broke the rules, but a little "common sense" would have gone a long way in this issue. The people mentioned in the article are over zealous in their interpretation of the rules plus so they seem to be very proud of their deportation attempt.

[Puckoon]

I'm all for common sense FL, but we don't know all the info here. Is this a recurring problem? Are their visa holders under audit? Is the young girl being made an example of? Have they had a warning shot across their bow from immigration? In isolation, it's certainly heavy handed. Would a company who does quite a bit to help people and give them an opportunity just all of a sudden turn into such an overzealous tatletale?

Bottom line, taking the visa from this crowd is a choice. Take it as it's stated, or run the risk. She ran and now she's flying.

Not to mention that article is atrociously written - you can just see the steam coming out of the authors ears.

And this choice morsel

It is also unique to find an organization that so cheerfully defends its jackboot tactics and gets substantial Irish government funding while dashing the dreams of young people

How about suggesting they are protecting the dreams of other young people coming after, who are prepared and willing to abide by the rules?

[Itchy]

Should all illegal immigrants in Ireland be allowed stay? She is illegal, broke the law of another country so she should take her punishment.

[lawnseed]

Why should we be paying money to "look after" people who break the laws of another Country?

yip! thats rossfan he just doesnt get it on any thread

[tommysmith]

Should all illegal immigrants in Ireland be allowed stay? She is illegal, broke the law of another country so she should take her punishment.

Do you think all the other Illegal irish in America should be sent home aswell?