Brazilian man can stay but deportation hangs over his family
AT AROUND 10.45am yesterday, Danielle Martins Ribeiro received the call she was dreading from her Brazilian husband in Cloverhill Prison.
Lucivaldo Araujo da Silva had been arrested in his family home in Athenry, Co Galway, on February 2, on foot of a deportation order.
Yesterday, the husband and father of three was allowed a six-minute phone conversation to tell his family he would be boarding a plane to Brazil and to say goodbye.
While Danielle said “today is the worst day of my life”, so too was it “the best day” because, without explanation, the meat factory worker was taken back to his cell 30 minutes later and was told that not only will he remain in Ireland, but he will be released back to his family.
Too emotional to speak at length, Lucivaldo told the Irish Independent: “I can’t tell you how I feel right now, but I’m very happy. I’m still worried about my kids and my family.”
The Brazilian father avoided deportation after Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan intervened at the last moment, and his application to revoke the deportation was granted on “humanitarian grounds and the voice of the child”.
His ability to remain in Ireland is not guaranteed yet, however, as his case will be reviewed. Danielle and the couple’s 12-year-old daughter, Stephany, also have outstanding deportation orders.
Stephany was born in Ireland, so too were her siblings, Bryan (9) and Nicole (2).
Danielle said she was living in fear of deportation every day. “I felt devastated earlier. I just thought I couldn’t handle it,” she said.
“When he called to say he would be deported we all started screaming and crying.
“I don’t know what I would have done. I still don’t know what I’m going to do because it isn’t over. We don’t want to be separated and we don’t want to leave Ireland.
“We just want to raise the kids here and give them the best opportunities,” she added.
“We live our lives in fear. We’re afraid all the time because we don’t have freedom. We can’t buy a house, we pay all of our tax but I never get child benefit or anything and I’m not looking for that, I just want a work permit to look after my kids.
“To be able to work and get them to college and all their rights. We are afraid, we live day-by-day because we don’t know what is going on.”
After Stephany started a petition for her father to remain in Ireland, Fianna Fáil TD Anne Rabbitte and barrister Lorraine Lally worked to help the family.
While Lucivaldo avoided deportation yesterday, 17 other men did board the plane to Brazil.
Danielle said that her family were blessed, but that she felt for those not so lucky.
“My daughter worked so hard to let people know about her father, and she’s an Irish girl, she said ‘I was born by the fields of Athenry and I don’t want to leave’. She said ‘the people of Ireland are good and they’re Catholic, they are not going to do this to our family, keep strong mom’.
“Her dream would be crushed. We’re so lucky. Thank God the minister had compassion. He is a human being and he looked after us.
“I just hope we can get legally in the country. My kids are so happy. They keep screaming they can’t wait to see their daddy. It’s lovely, I’m so delighted.
“My daughter is right, Irish people are good.”
‘We live our lives in fear. We’re afraid all the time’