Deported boy taken from playschool

CHILDREN attending a playschool near Killarney were upset when immigration officials took away a three-year-old Nigerian boy for deportation, a parents’ representative said yesterday.

Geradina Hartnett, parents' liaison officer, Muckross Community Play-school, said the officials arrived with the boy's mother on March 14 and removed him from the playschool where he had been involved in preparations for the St Patrick's Day parade.

Both the boy and his mother were deported later that day with up to 40 others to Lagos.

Ms Hartnett rejected a statement by Justice Minister Michael McDowell that no child had been taken from a school for deportation.

She said the episode was upsetting for the other children, all three to four year olds, who found it hard to understand why the little boy was taken.

"This is something very big for them a little boy is taken away and is not coming back. He had gone to school as normal that morning," she told Radio Kerry. "It's very difficult to explain to other children."

She said the situation would continue to be difficult until there was a "national vision" on how to deal with immigration.

It also emerged at the weekend that a seven-year-old Nigerian boy was taken from a primary school in Tralee for deportation with his mother and sister on March 14.

Patrick Sayers, principal of the Sacred Heart School, said the boy's mother remained outside the door while he was removed from a physical education class, about 15 minutes before the end of the school day.

"There had been no prior contact with the school by immigration officials and it was a bit of a shock to all of us," he said.

"Such situations are potentially distressing and I believe prior notice should be given to a school.

"I certainly would have concerns about gardaí coming into the school for such a purpose. Such matters are best dealt with outside the school environment, preferably in the home environment."

The boy had been attending the school since October 2003.

He had a five-year-old sister in the school, but she had gone home earlier in the day. It is understood she was also deported.

Teachers were said to be upset and raised the issue at a staff meeting. Mr Sayers said he would be taking up the matter with the Immigration Bureau.