Hurler and cousin 'treated like terrorists' by US customs

Family visit to Boston ended in chains, orange jumpsuits, night in prison cell and deportation

John Downes, News Investigations Correspondent

'Terrified': Jonathon and Adrian O'Callaghan

A former Cork county senior hurler and his cousin were placed in chains and forced to spend a night in a maximum security US prison in Boston after being refused permission to enter the country last month, the Sunday Tribune has learned.

Jonathon O'Callaghan (31) and his cousin Adrian O'Callaghan (23) were made to wear orange prison jumpsuits and were put in hand and ankle cuffs before being transferred in a sheriff's car to Suffolk County Jail.

This followed what they claim was a hugely "intimidatory" three- to four-hour interrogation by US immigration officials on 4 June last, during which they were repeatedly shouted at and "treated like terrorists". They shared a cell with a number of other prisoners before being transferred in a prison vehicle to Boston airport for deportation the following afternoon.

Jonathon O'Callaghan, a talented hurler who has represented Cork at senior level, said their problems began after they flew to Boston on 4 June with Air France from Shannon via Paris. He said they chose this route after finding the cheapest flights available.

They intended to visit their uncle, who is a US citizen and was celebrating his 50th birthday.

While he had previously been refused permission to enter the country to participate in a hurling final, O'Callaghan said he has since returned to the USA on numerous occasions without any problems. It was his cousin Adrian's first trip there.

"We had passed customs when border control pulled us aside and separated us out for interviews," he said.

"The guy interrogating me was really intimidating, and he kept almost bragging about the fact he wasn't going to let me in."

"I actually thought when Adrian told me we're going to prison that he was pulling my leg. I had my wallet with a photo of my daughter in it... To be honest I was terrified. I was wondering when is the next time I'm going to see my daughter?"

Adrian O'Callaghan said their interrogation was "extremely intimidating".

"They were standing up, banging on the table, shouting in my face, about four inches away," he said. "At the prison, they brought us in and searched us, gave us orange jumpsuits, and we had our mugshots taken. Then we were thrown into a jail cell. We were just in shock at that stage.

"We were escorted to the plane handcuffed the next day, and taken in a paddywagon straight onto our Air France flight. It was like something out of [the movie] Con Air.

Irish immigration officials were criticised recently after they refused to allow three young Texan backpackers into the country earlier this month.

The men have since returned here having been offered free flights, accommodation and spending money by a Dublin hotel group.

By comparison the O'Callaghans, who both work in construction, say they now fear they will be "blacklisted" from ever entering the USA again. They hope the record of their refusal can be expunged as a gesture of goodwill.

A spokesman for the US embassy in Dublin said its Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has "sole authority to determine at port of entry whether a visitor to the US is eligible for admission".

"In most cases, visitors who are found ineligible are returned to their own country. This sounds like what happened with Messrs O'Callaghan," he said.

"It is regrettable that Messrs O'Callaghan believe they were treated inappropriately by CBP upon their arrival in Boston. Millions of visitors come to the United States every year without problem."

The spokesman said the O'Callaghans can lodge a formal complaint with the CBP, which the men say they intend to do.

July 19, 2009

Comments

#1 jmc commented, on July 19, 2009 at 6:44 p.m.:

We're not getting the full story here. On what basis were they refused entry to the US?

#2 martin commented, on July 19, 2009 at 8:17 p.m.:

Yes -- why is the most important detail of the story missing? U.S. immigration can be unpleasant at times, but there has to be some issue (visa or whatever) at the root of an incident like that.

#3 Patrick commented, on July 19, 2009 at 8:45 p.m.:

I've been to the USA many times with an Irish passport and never experienced any problems like this story.
I'd like to know why O'Callaghan had previouly been refused entry to participate in a hurling final?
Seems like there's a dark secret there screaming to come out...

#4 Stephen commented, on July 19, 2009 at 9:25 p.m.:

I have to agree with JMC. They must have been given some reason and the article is lacking in not stating the reason given to the two men. Was it the route they had taken? Did they fill in the on-line forms for entry to the US? Was all documentation in order?

#5 Shane commented, on July 20, 2009 at 1:33 p.m.:

I went through something similar in Boston too - 2 years back. I had overstayed on a visa before and when I went back in I was held at the airport and spent the night in jail before being sent back. Ending up in jail wasn't nice and having to wear the jail uniform and being in handcuffed and in ankle shackles is a bit of a shock but they are strict on things like that over there. Apart though from the high security I was treated OK there and the place was clean compared to the pictures of places you see like Mountjoy. Once I was there the worse thing was that I wasn't allowed have a smoke. Suffolk County Jail is a jail not a max security prison where people go before they are sentenced and as I say once there it was strict but OK. It sure is embarassing and humiliating being treated the way I was and I wouldn't like to go through it again.

#6 Briain Mac Fiaich commented, on July 20, 2009 at 4:10 p.m.:

I travelled to New York last year for a short break.The immigration people at JFK could not have been more helpful and friendly.
There is more to this than meets the eye.

#7 michael kelly commented, on July 23, 2009 at 6:13 p.m.:

This type of degrading treatment is nothing new to many people from the north of Ireland travelling on Irish passports. A few years ago I was detained at Glasgow airport by members of special security asking why I was travelling on an Irish passport since I was born in Derry.They brought me in and out of the waiting area 4 times and asked me very personal questions about my family in Ireland in a threatening manner.

The whole exercise was designed to humiliate and intimidate citizens of the north who choose to exercise their right to carry an Irish passport, a case of British ethnic profiling, not unusual at the time for people from my community.

#8 Eoin commented, on July 26, 2009 at 12:37 p.m.:

There are a lot of pretty useless comments here.

"On what basis were they refused entry to the US?"

Because of a previous refusal. Thats good enough. In fact the immigration officer can refuse you for no reason.

"I'd like to know why O'Callaghan had previously been refused entry to participate in a hurling final?"

Because the immigration officer in that case probably thought he was not a genuine tourist but looking to stay. It was hardly for terrorism.

This puts into perspective the kid glove treatment we gave to the rich kid who didn't get into Ireland because he did not have a return ticket. Note that US immigration did not stop him in Shannon either, which would have been more convenient for the hurlers, but forwarded on the information for their bully boys on the other side of the pond.

I mean 4 hours of bullying of an Irish hurler. Is that even doing their job? I bet an Al Queda operative popped in in the meantime.

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