Eric gets to remain at home in Ireland after huge support
SCHOOL principal Maeve Tierney will never forget the moment pupil Eric Zhi Ying Mei heard the news that he could stay in Ireland.
Eric (10), a fifth class pupil at St Cronan’s National School in Bray, had been subject to a deportation order but 14 months ago, the school launched a petition calling on the state to allow Eric, who was born in Ireland, to remain in the country.
His mother Leena Mei Mei Xue, a native of China, received a letter in recent days informing her that deportation orders had been lifted.
‘I got a call from Leena to check was I in the office,’ said Ms Tierney. ‘She sounded very excited and said she had good news.’
Maeve didn’t dare to believe it until she saw it herself in black and white: a letter from the Department of Justice and Equality informing Leena that the family could remain in Ireland.
‘They asked her to enjoy this, which is something you would not normally see, and brought some humanity to the letter,’ said Ms Tierney.
The principal went to Eric’s classroom, said she needed to see him and brought him to the office where her mother was waiting.
‘That’s a moment I’ll never forget,’ said Ms Tierney, describing how surprised and overjoyed Eric was when his mother told him the good news.
‘He was just overwhelmed, he couldn’t believe it,’ said the principal. ‘He said “does that mean I’m like every other boy in my class?” He had felt so different with the uncertainty hanging over his head. He hasn’t felt like every other boy, but now he feels on equal footing to everyone else, which is what we wanted.
‘It’s so wonderful for him to be relieved of that huge stress,’ said Ms Tierney. ‘It will take time for him to process what it means. It’s been unbelievably stressful for his family, literally not knowing what the future holds. We are so relieved for them.’
Eric’s mother Leena was 19 when she arrived in Ireland in 2006. She has been appealing a deportation order for a number of years but when the final appeal was rejected in June 2018, deportation orders were prepared for her and her young son. Although Eric was born in Holles Street and had never left Ireland, he was not legally considered to be an Irish citizen and was facing deportation to China.
After months of worry, there has been an outpouring of delight and relief at the news this week.
Ms Tierney said that Eric’s classmates, and his teacher Jean Kelly are all thrilled.
‘Eric is such a lovely child, and such a gentleman,’ said Ms Tierney, who said his friends are all relieved to have the uncertainty finally dealt with once and for all.
She said that the response to the petition had gone beyond their expectations, with 67,000 signatures appealing for the state to allow the family to remain in the country.
‘I didn’t have any notion of the kind of response we would get,’ said Ms Tierney. ‘We thought there might be a few thousand. It literally rocketed, and people have continued to sign during the year.
‘Our hope would be that other children in the same situation would be granted leave to remain,’ said Ms Tierney, who was speaking on International Migrants’ Day, December 18. ‘There are about 200 undocumented children in the country. I understand that Leo Varadkar has said there will be structures put in place to deal with such cases.’
She said that the school and the family had thought carefully before going so public with Eric’s plight.
‘It is important that this opportunity is used well to highlight the needs of others in similar circumstances,’ she said.
Ms Tierney said that Eric’s mum would prefer not to be interviewed.
‘She does so want to thank everyone involved in the campaign, including the school, politicians, the community, and all the people who came forward to sign the petition. She made the sacrifice of making this public and has done a great service, not just for Eric, but for others.
‘Obviously what is needed now is action,’ said Ms Tierney. ‘Some people said they hadn’t realised the implications of the law, and this is about a real life situation.’
HE WAS JUST SO OVERWHELMED, HE COULDN’T BELIEVE IT