Unsafe Haven: United States, the IRA and Political Prisoners Book

Irish political prisoners have sought and found refuge in the United States since the 1800s. In 1986 however, US government policy changed, in part as a reward for Britain's support in the US attack on Libya. The "tools of exclusion" were subtly and not-so-subtly politicized, as ways were found to deport - or in other ways criminalize - potentially embarrassing Irish activists. In this controversial book, Karen McElrath examines the problematic history of Irish political prisoners in the US. Drawing on original research interviews with prisoners, their families and their supporters in the US, she looks at how the rule of law can change, for entirely political reasons, and considers the impact of those changes. She also examines the use of specific sanctions - deportation, extradition, prosecution - and shifting priorities in US immigration policies, which brought them into line with changing political (and diplomatic) allegiances. In this account of a complex and much-contested issue, McElrath examines the struggles over deportation and extradition within the context of Anglo-US relations.Read More