IRA terrorist behind 1993 bombing of police station near Belfast deported from Boston

Darcey McMenamin, released under the Good Friday Agreement, had been living illegally in the US since at least 2007

Justin Vallejo
New York
Friday 24 July 2020 18:07 BST
Comments
Good Friday Agreement: Tony Blair recalls 'incredibly complicated and difficult' Northern Ireland talks 20 years on

US immigration deported a convicted Irish Republican Army terrorist found living in Massachusetts.

Darcey McMenamin, 44, was sent back to Ireland after losing his appeal to remain in Boston, according to the New England office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

McMenamin was 18 when he was charged with the 1993 mortar attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary police station near Omagh, about 60 miles west of Belfast in Northern Ireland.

McMenamin and Dominic Pearse Darcy, then 21, were arrested for the Fintona attack, which ended the three-day Christmas cease-fire 16 minutes after midnight, The Independent reported in 1994.

Two passers-by were injured.

While McMenan was released from prison as part of the Good Friday Agreement, he failed to disclose that criminal history when entering and departing the US multiple times on the visa waiver program between 2000 and 2007.

US Customs and Border Protection says McMenamin violated immigration law when he didn't leave the US after entering on port-authorized parole for the birth of his child in 2007.

ICE field office director for Boston, Todd M Lyons, said there is no safe haven in the US for foreign nationals convicted of terrorist activities.

"Those who believe they can hide in the US from their crimes including terrorist activities they committed in other countries are in for a rude awakening," Mr Lysons said in a statement.

"ICE remains committed to removing dangerous foreign nationals from the US, even those who may have managed to evade immigration law for a lengthy period of time."

McMenamin's background was discovered after being arrested in late 2019 on a warrant for leasing a motor vehicle by fraud and driving with a suspended license, according to The Boston Herald.

His appeal to be released and remain in Boston due to coronavirus was denied by an immigration judge on 3 June and he was deported on 20 July.

At a Rhode Island Irish history event in 2016, McMenamin spoke about how hard it was growing up in Ireland as a kid, according to the Irish Central.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in