Sir, - The attempted deportation of the Costina family bears all the hallmarks of the callous way the Department of Justice frequently treats the weakest in our society. Examples are legion. Here is one such known to me.
Two years ago a seriously ill Bosnian refugee friend of mine had a visitor's visa denied to her sister. It would have been her first contact in years with her family still in Bosnia. That refusal was later rescinded through the generous intervention of a member of the Senate.
Recently my friend, then dying rapidly of cancer, applied for a return visit from her sister. In a letter of support I explained all the circumstances. The application was refused without any explanation. At this point I informed the Department that I would convey its disgraceful decision to Mr David Andrews, TD. A few days earlier he had most kindly received me as one of a group concerned with the plight of refugees in Kosova. The negative decision was again revoked, but my friend died before her sister's arrival.
What sort of "Justice" department is one where the most basic decencies can only be achieved through political pressure? There is no doubt that the Costina family would have been expelled had it not been for the outraged response of Irish friends. But what wretched fate awaits hundreds of other refugees who may not be so lucky in their connections?
I believe that, however regrettably, strict immigration controls are necessary for the sake of both refugees and the local community. It is unrealistic to hold that Ireland should welcome all who would wish to settle here. However, shortages of funding and of administrative staff can never excuse brutish behaviour from officialdom.
It flies in the face of natural justice to deport a law-abiding refugee family after almost five years in Ireland. If the Department of Justice cannot process asylum applications within - I would suggest - two years, then those refugees should be allowed to reside here. As things stand, my confidence is minimal as regards the fairness of the new asylum procedures. After all, this is the Department which only a few years ago imprisoned asylum-seekers!
I would recommend that our political parties draw up plans to transform the Department of Justice so that it becomes a body that is transparently at the service of the whole community, not excluding the poor and powerless. For too long it has been notorious for its secretive and arbitrary dealings with some of the least privileged in our society, such as prisoners, drug-addicts and refugees. Henceforth this Department should devote a much greater proportion of its energies to tackling the double standards that apply to justice for the rich and for the poor in our country; and, secondly, to challenging the huge levels of corruption so evident among our economic elite. It is the urgent responsibility of our political leaders to give us a Department of Justice worthy of the name it bears. - Yours, etc., John Feighery,
S.V.D.,
Pembroke Road,
Dublin 4.