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Keith Byrne with his family. GoFundMe

'His mind is blown': Family of Irishman facing deportation from US delighted he has been released from prison

Byrne was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials on 10 July.

THE FAMILY OF Irishman Keith Byrne – who faces deportation from the US – have said that they are delighted that he has been released from prison, and that work will begin immediately to keep him in the country. 

Speaking on RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland, Jim Byrne – Keith’s father – said that he had been speaking to his son as he left the detention centre yesterday, who said “his mind was blown” that he had been released.

Byrne was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials on 10 July. 

The Fermoy-native and father-of-three runs a painting and decorating business in Pennsylvania, and was pulled over by officers on his way to work despite being a legal citizen.

He has attempted to secure his status in the US through appropriate legal routes since he has been living there, but a charge for possession of marijuana when he still lived in Ireland has meant he has failed to do so. 

Although his family always knew it was possible that his application could be denied to the point that he would have to go back to Ireland, his wife Keran told RTÉ earlier this month that it never occurred to her family that ICE would deport him.

Release

Speaking to RTÉ Radio One’s Drivetime yesterday, Stephen Antwine, who is part of Byrne’s legal team, said that they have received an order granting his release for 30 days. 

Antwine said they filed an injunction request yesterday with the Middle District of Pennsylvania. He said the hearing took place yesterday and they received an order from a judge this morning granting their request. 

Speaking today, Keith’s father Jim – who lives in Ireland – said it had been an “awful fortnight” for the family. 

“Well I was talking to him when he was in the car on the way from the facility and his mind was blown he said he can’t understand it or believe it,” he said. 

To see his name come up on the phone when he called was fantastic as well. 

Melinda Byrne – Keith’s sister – said his next step would be to seek an extension to the 30 days for his release and prepare his case against deportation.  

Jim said he was hopeful his son would be allowed to remain in the US as he had never had a run in with law enforcement while in the country.

“It seems that if you’re in the states illegally the one things you cannot do is come in contact with the law,” he said. 

With reporting from Hayley Halpin and Stephen McDermott

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    Mute Conor Noonan
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    Jul 26th 2019, 9:05 AM

    Undocumented is a fancy way of saying his there illegally. End of.

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    Mute john doe
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    Jul 26th 2019, 9:14 AM

    @Conor Noonan: and…

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    Mute Daithi Ó Raghallaigh
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    Jul 26th 2019, 9:18 AM

    @john doe: and ….less illegal apparently not being from S American

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    Mute Do the Bort man
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    Jul 26th 2019, 9:25 AM

    @Conor Noonan: he isn’t “Undocumented”, he actually is documented. The US authorities know who he is, as he has tried for years to get citizenship. He has been running a company and paying his taxes for years in the states.

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    Mute Tony Harris
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    Jul 26th 2019, 10:49 AM

    @Do the Bort man: Pity we don’t deport convicted druggies that try to enter our Country!

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    Mute Pseudonym
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    Jul 26th 2019, 11:00 AM

    @Tony Harris: “druggies” are you 12??

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    Mute Renton Burke
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    Jul 26th 2019, 1:17 PM

    @Do the Bort man: stop that nonsense. He is illegally there and undocumented. You don’t need to have documentation to run a business and pay business taxes. If he was legally documented do you think they’d be starting him and deporting. Every Mexican in Texas would be in the clear if they would claim they had been “running a business”!

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    Mute Tony Harris
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    Jul 26th 2019, 2:02 PM

    @Pseudonym: That’s it? All you have to say on the subject?

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    Mute Ronan McDermott
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    Jul 26th 2019, 8:11 PM

    @Renton Burke: you guys haven’t a clue. Pathetic.

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    Mute Pat Farrelly
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    Jul 26th 2019, 9:11 PM

    @Do the Bort man: No he is not. If he is, as claimed, paying taxes, he is using a fake identity to do so, trying (unsuccessfully) to stay under the radar.

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    Mute Do the Bort man
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    Jul 26th 2019, 9:34 PM

    @Pat Farrelly: kinda hard to run a legitimate business without paying taxes

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    Mute Ronan McDermott
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    Jul 26th 2019, 9:35 PM

    @Pat Farrelly: they’ve tried to get his residency after his visa expired. So he’s declared he has no status. Doesn’t sound like flying under any radar to me. Sounds like a guy holding his hands up.

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    Mute Do the Bort man
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    Jul 26th 2019, 9:37 PM

    @Renton Burke: how is he undocumented when he has had failed applications of citizenship?

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    Mute John Horan
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    Jul 26th 2019, 9:15 AM

    I am confused ‘despite being a legal citizen’. So if he is legal why the problems?

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    Mute Marcus Mc Cann
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    Jul 26th 2019, 9:56 AM

    @John Horan: His drug convictions here in 2005 and 2006 …… ”He has attempted to secure his status in the US through appropriate legal routes since he has been living there, but a charge for possession of marijuana when he still lived in Ireland has meant he has failed to do so. ”

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    Mute sequoia
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    Jul 26th 2019, 10:17 AM

    @Marcus Mc Cann:

    I wonder if he applied in a state where it was no longer a crime, would he have more luck.

    Strange he actually got into the US with the convictions in the first place.

    That aside, he seems to be an upstanding member of the community, hope it all works out for him.

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    Mute Peter
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    Jul 26th 2019, 10:31 AM

    @John Horan: Read it. It’s there.

    @sequoia: That would be interesting!

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    Mute m flynsk
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    Jul 26th 2019, 10:31 AM

    @Marcus Mc Cann:
    The Irish Government and the Department of Justice could quash his conviction and he would have no criminal record.
    Why won’t they do that?
    Why has no one asked for that to be done?
    Why is there so much moaning and no solutions being put forward?

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    Mute Kendra Jackson
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    Jul 26th 2019, 10:42 AM

    @sequoia: AFAIK, he got in on a tourist visa and just never left so his prior convictions probably weren’t an issue.

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    Mute Ian Breathnach
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    Jul 26th 2019, 11:05 AM

    @m flynsk: they can’t he’d have to go through the proper channels and appear himself before the courts which would mean leaving the country (and the likelihood of not getting back in). Unfortunately there’s a thing called due process which believe it or not the Government cannot over rule

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    Mute Alan McArdle
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    Jul 26th 2019, 11:08 AM

    @m flynsk: why would they quash it?

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    Mute Patrick Kearns
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    Jul 26th 2019, 12:29 PM

    @Alan McArdle: because it’s a BS crime that, outside of the criminal complications of its illegality, has less harmful impact on society than alcohol which is actually a far harder drug.

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    Mute Alan McArdle
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    Jul 26th 2019, 1:00 PM

    @Patrick Kearns: quashing a conviction because you don’t agree with it…. absolute tripe

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    Mute Renton Burke
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    Jul 26th 2019, 1:21 PM

    @Patrick Kearns: the thing is he didn’t declare anything, he lied on the visa waiver and never corrected his story. The drug offences (unless he was dealing during his free and easy days) are misdemeanors otherwise.

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    Mute Patrick Kearns
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    Jul 26th 2019, 2:12 PM

    @Renton Burke: First I’ve read of that. That would substantially change the situation alright.

    @Alan McArdle: Is drinking alcohol a crime? If you’re happy to have alcohol remain legal even though it’s consumption clogs our ER departments every weekend, kills people with cirrhosis of the liver or aspirating vomit from being poisoned with it, killing people whilst intoxicated on it which includes friends siblings and spouses which can be vehicular manslaughter or just straight up beating them to death. If you’re willing to tolerate that yet tell me that a marijuana conviction is suitable reason to destroy a family, then who is serving the tripe?

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    Mute John Horan
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    Jul 26th 2019, 3:06 PM

    @Marcus Mc Cann: right so he is not a legal citizen but an illegal immigrant, the story is wrong

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    Mute Pat Farrelly
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    Jul 26th 2019, 9:17 PM

    @Marcus Mc Cann: He lied on his initial application not disclosing his multiple drug convictions, he then lied again by promising to leave before his visa expired. Why should the USA facilitate this serial liar and pot head who built a life for himself based on a foundation of sand. To me the only victims here are the unfortunate woman and children that he has let down so badly.

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    Mute Pat Farrelly
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    Jul 26th 2019, 9:18 PM

    @m flynsk: There is a solution, they are going to deport him back to where he came from.

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    Mute Daithi Ó Raghallaigh
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    Jul 26th 2019, 9:02 AM

    lucky his skin was white..

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    Mute Will
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    Jul 26th 2019, 2:03 PM

    @Daithi Ó Raghallaigh: Actually it’s his ability to pay for an expensive lawyer that matters.

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    Mute Mike Conway
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    Jul 26th 2019, 1:34 PM

    Journal, this man did not comply with US immigration regulations. He is not some sort of wrongly accused martyr.

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    Mute Alejandro Acillino
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    Jul 26th 2019, 11:18 AM

    Crazy the attention this has got in the US media even. If he had my skin tone or my name. Wouldn’t be a peep. Happens every day of the week to those of the brown persuasion. There years illegally, raise kids there but eventually got caught.

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    Mute Ned O Mahony
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    Jul 26th 2019, 10:03 AM

    This is great news i spent the last week praying for that man
    and his family. All decent people here in Cork are delighted

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    Mute sequoia
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    Jul 26th 2019, 10:15 AM

    @Ned O Mahony:

    Bizarre post. Utterly, utterly bizarre.

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    Mute *The* Brendan Gordon
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    Jul 26th 2019, 2:37 PM

    @Ned O Mahony: Praying for this guy? what about all the families in concentration camps for the same crime? The arrogance. The blinkered, self serving hypocrisy. You actually believe that your prayers work and you use them on such a trivial self indulgent farce.

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    Mute Martin O'Reilly
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    Jul 26th 2019, 12:10 PM

    His mind is blown?? This is not the time to go back on the weed surely?

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    Mute Earth Traveller
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    Jul 26th 2019, 1:50 PM

    @Martin O’Reilly: Yeah, not the best headline – some Americans might misconstrue the meaning. I hope he doesn’t decide to have a bit of craic at the weekend.

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    Mute Francis Mc Carthy
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    Jul 26th 2019, 12:27 PM

    He is ‘lucky’ that he had the means to hire an immigration lawyer(s).That alone ‘might’ get him another couple of years in the US with his family.

    “It seems that if you’re in the states illegally the one things you cannot do is come in contact with the law,” he said. <- Looks like he did make a mistake of trying to become a legal citizen.Hopefully, the thousands of other Irish that overstay their visas each & every year will now know that the right thing to do is to not try & become a legal citizen.

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    Mute brian reid
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    Jul 26th 2019, 3:43 PM

    The way this story is going on and on …he is legal…he is not legal…he did..he didn’t..he is in jail …he is out ..it’s now looks like it is time to get the Brown envelopes out to fix this

    10
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