John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Chair for the opportunity to raise on the Adjournment debate the deportation from Palmerstown of a young Nigerian student, Mr. Olunkunle Eluhanla, commonly known to his friends as "Kunle". I thank the Minister, Deputy McDowell, for attending in person tonight. It frequently happens that the relevant Minister does not respond on the Adjournment because he or she has been given short notice. It is interesting to note that many Deputies tried to raise this matter, which has created a great deal of tension in many communities.

I understand that an application for refugee status and a subsequent appeal were not upheld in this case and refugee status was not granted. I heard the Minister speaking about this case during a radio interview this morning. He clearly stated that he would not make an order to allow Olunkunle to return to Ireland, as that would lead to a chaotic situation of Ireland having an open door immigration policy, in effect. The Minister may not have used those exact words, but I have outlined what he said, more or less.

While I do not believe the Irish people want an open door immigration policy, I think they would like the Minister to show some sympathy and compassion in this case. Although Olunkunle's application for refugee status failed, it appears that a number of claims made by him during that process were not disputed. His father and his uncle were murdered in December 1998 and Olunkunle was shot during the incident. Olunkunle and the remaining members of his family moved to Lagos thereafter. The house in which he was living with his family was subsequently destroyed. Olunkunle arrived in Ireland in October 2001, having travelled without his family. I regard him as an orphan because his father is dead and the location of his mother and the rest of his family is unknown. Some media reports have suggested that they might be in the United States or the United Kingdom, but Olunkunle does not know where they are.

Olunkunle has spent about half of his teenage years in Ireland. He has adapted well during that time, for example by integrating with the local community, studying for his leaving certificate and working in a part-time job. He is a popular student and his deportation has touched the lives of everyone here who knows him. I have received numerous phone calls from people from all walks of life wishing to register their disapproval of the manner in which Olunkunle was dealt with. Less than three months away from his leaving certificate, a student was deported at short notice. I understand that today Olunkunle roams somewhere in Lagos and faces a very uncertain future. I ask the Minister to reconsider his earlier-stated position. I ask him to recognise Olunkunle as an orphan. The State and the Department should have observed a duty of care to Olunkunle when deporting him, but he was deported instead without reference to what lay ahead for him in Nigeria. He came here as a young person without any family. While I accept that we require an immigration policy, the manner in which Olunkunle was deported failed to take into account what he would face.

The Minister will speak factually and eloquently when replying, but that will not help Olunkunle's situation. I plead with the Minister to at least allow Olunkunle the opportunity to return to Ireland to complete his leaving certificate and, perhaps, to let him apply for leave to remain here on humanitarian or compassionate grounds. The Minister should bear in mind that Olunkunle was here for three and a half years, made a significant number of friends and integrated extremely well. It is grossly unfair that a person who has been studying for a number of years should be deprived at the last minute of the opportunity to receive a qualification.

The Minister is probably the most knowledgeable person in the House on the law. I am sure a way can be found to allow Olunkunle to return to complete his leaving certificate which does not open any door or cause chaos in our immigration system. I plead with the Minister who has the expertise to do it to find that way. It is the minimum the people who have contacted me in significant numbers want me to ask of him. I thank the Minister for attending to reply on this matter.

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