THE fate of Mr Brian Pearson, a former IRA member fighting deportation from the US, will be decided this week following appeals to President Clinton that he be given political asylum.
Irish-American groups, members of Congress, the New York State Assembly and editorials in Irish-American newspapers are asking Mr Clinton and the Attorney General, Ms Janet Reno, not to appeal a court ruling last month that Mr Pearson should not be deported because his role in the bombing of an RUC station in 1975 was a "political offence". The judge also said Mr Pearson should be given political asylum.
The Immigration and Naturalisation Service which has been trying to deport Mr Pearson for several years, has until later this week to appeal this ruling to a higher court. A decision to appeal would be taken only at a high level in the administration, hence the intensive lobbying campaign.
Mr Pearson, from Co Tyrone, is married to a US citizen and has a daughter He served 12 years for the bombing offence and is not wanted by the RUC. However, he failed to disclose his conviction when he entered the US 10 years ago and this has made him liable to deportation under the stricter immigration law passed last year. Five other deportation cases involving former IRA members similar to that of Mr Pearson are also waiting final decisions. If the administration decides not to appeal the Pearson case, it would be seen as a high-level signal to the immigration service not to pursue the other cases.
The powerful chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives, Mr Ben Gilman, at a White House foreign affairs discussion last week, appealed on Mr Pearson's, behalf to the President, the Secretary of State, Ms Madeleine Albright, and the National Security Adviser, Mr Sandy Berger.