US lawyers representing Irishman Keith Byrne have made a last-ditch plea for leniency to US authorities amid growing expectations he will be deported on Friday. Mr Byrne overstayed his visa by a number of months. Meanwhile, noting the support in the Philadelphia community for Mr Byrne, as well as the extensive media coverage internationally, Mr Griffin said Mr Byrne, who runs a painting business, “has consistently abided by the law, and has regularly paid business and personal taxes,” he writes. He also notes Mr Byrne’s family will likely lose their house in the event of deportation as the mortgage is more than half of Keren Byrne’s nursing salary. “Essentially what has happened is that Mr Byrne was on the books of ICE officers, but this wasn’t an issue during the Obama administration.

Source: The Irish Times July 17, 2019 22:41 UTC