National Board of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in America letter to Homeland Security asking for bail.

Mr. Brennan does not present a security risk to the United States and his incarceration serves no purpose in consideration of the Peace Process in Northern Ireland and the United States interest in supporting the new government. Mr. Brennan is married to a citizen of the United States and the conditions of his entry into the United States in 1984 have been previously waived.

The A.O.H. National Board would ask that a reasonable offer of bond be made to Mr. Brennan to assure his compliance and attendance at subsequent Immigration Hearings as well as good conduct in the interim. We ask that Mr. Brennan be allowed to contest the process of removal while being released on bond. We believe that his history proves that he is neither a flight risk nor a danger to the USA.

US Congressmen call for Pol Brennan

to be released on Bail

Mr. Brennan’s continued detention without bond appears to serve no end that is consistent with the interest of the United States to foster a lasting peace in Northern Ireland. With his marriage to a United States citizen and provisions in the law to waive his prior unlawful presence in the U.S.,

Mr. Brennan ought to be granted the-opportunity to contest the charge of removal with the privilege of release on bond. His continued detention is not justified for the security of the United States or its people nor is he a flight risk.

Pól's new address after his move August 11th 2008:

Tent City

Pól Brennan
# A88 785 324
Willacy County Processing Center
1800 Industrial Drive, Raymondville,
Texas 78580
Telephone: (956) 689-9218

He can only receive letters. No books, no magazines.
Here is a link to the Detention Center Web Page.

http://www.mtctrains.com/corrections/facilities_willacy_ICE.php

Any questions or suggestions please contact us at information@polbrennan.com

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Article on Póls Jailers; From the Horrors of Long Kesh to the Horrors of Abu Ghraib

It has been revealed that two men, Pól Brennan and Lane McCotter, each synonymous with one of the two most notorious prisons in modern history, one as a captive the other a jailer, are currently engaged in a battle of wills, one for freedom the other for confinement.

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Below is some information on Pól's latest Detention Center

Writing in 2006 for the Le Monde diplomatique Avery F. Gordon [of UC Santa Barbara] noted that: "Lane McCotter is an executive with Management and Training Corporation, a private prison company, which he joined after being forced to resign as director of the Utah Department of Corrections, following the death of a prisoner who had been shackled naked to a chair for 16 hours. US Attorney General John Ashcroft chose McCotter to direct the reopening of the Iraqi prisons under US rule and to train Iraqi guards; McCotter chose Abu Ghraib as the best site for the main prison and then oversaw its organisational transition."

This is from: STATEMENT OF TOM JAWETZ

IMMIGRATION DETENTION STAFF ATTORNEY

ACLU NATIONAL PRISON PROJECT

BEFORE THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY

SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIME, TERRORISM, AND HOMELAND SECURITY

REGARDING PART II OF H.R. 1889, PRIVATE PRISON INFORMATION ACT OF 2007

PRESENTED ON JUNE 26, 2008

"Although immigration detainees are held at facilities all over the United States, the privatization boom appears to be focused heavily along our southern border. Last month I had the opportunity to visit two privately-run detention facilities in south Texas—the Willacy County Detention Center, also known as "Tent City" or "Ritmo," and the South Texas Detention Complex. Willacy is run by Management and Training Corporation (MTC), a Utah-based private prison company that gained some notoriety when its former director was tapped to set up the now-infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.4 Willacy currently houses 2,000 immigration detainees in ten 200-person tents and another 1,000 detainees in a new, prison-like building. Until the tents were modified last Fall to add one small window per housing unit, the detainees were completely deprived of natural light. Walking through the compound, it is easy to see that tears in the walls of the tents have been repaired with tape, so it is unsurprising that detainees complain of water seeping into their living quarters when it rains. Yet records pertaining to how MTC maintains or repairs the tents are completely unavailable to the public. Last year, a local news station obtained records showing that dozens of detainees had complained that they were being fed rotten food that was crawling with maggots.5 Copies of MTC's logbooks recording those complaints were obtained directly from security guards who went to the media with their story. Had the guards not come forward, those records never would have surfaced under our current laws, and the public might never have learned that our federal tax dollars were being spent on serving maggot-ridden food to civil detainees."

From:

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Management_and_Training_Corporation

Letter expressing concern

of treatment of Pól Brennan's

A letter that was recently sent to the Consul-General for United States of America By Paul Lynch MP, Member of Australian Labor Party on behalf of the Brehon Law Society of Australia. We sincerely thank him for his support of Pol and his family. The injustice of Pol's imprisonment is being heard far and wide.

Statement of support from Coiste na nIarchimi

I wish to express my solidarity to Pól Brennan and express my hope for an early release. No doubt we all send our best wishes to Pol’s partner in the US and his family here in Belfast.

I received a letter from Pól last week. Needless to say, under the circumstances of a long incarceration, Pol sounds up beat and resolute in his quest for justice. Pól’s many years of incarceration in the 1980s and 90s in the US had taught him to be patient and expect the very worse.

The peace process in Ireland and the agreement had set about the eventual release of Pól Brennan and other former Irish republican prisoners both here in Ireland and in the US. Pol had gained a work permit and went about building a life for himself. Then this January Pól was arrested without charge in Texas and has been held in solitary confinement since. It is this harsh incarceration that must be challenged by all of us.

On 26^th day of April The California State Boards of the Ancient Order of Hibernians AND the Ladies AOH met in San Diego where they passed motions of support for Pol Brennan and his family the resolutions read as follows

Irish Republican political refugee Pól Brennan is once again in prison after being stopped at a Border Patrol check point over 100 miles from the Mexican border. He is currently being held at a Willacy County Processing Center in Texas.

News

Benefit for Pól is being at the Starry Plough in Berkeley on the 21^st Sept from 2pm to 6pm

Starry Plough Contact Information

Phone: (510) 841-2082

Address: 3101 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA 94705

This is a great opportunity for Póls friends and supporters in the Berkeley California area to meet and to support Pól and his family,

Contact us for more information ; information@polbrennan.com

Statement from Pol Brennan

I would like to thank Congressmen Peter King, Richard Neal and Jim Walsh for their public support through their letter asking Homeland Security to drop their opposition to bail and allow me to fight my case in a fairer manner, free from the restrictions that imprisonment causes.

I would also like to thank Sinn Fein and especially Rita O Hare for their continued hard work on my behalf. And indeed everyone that is working on my behalf, I extend my gratitude and thanks.

Your continued support is very much appreciated.

Is Mise

Pól Brennan (Irish Detainee)

Pól's own stories click on links below

Read Póls account of the escape from

the H Blocks.

Click on picture to read

May 14, 2008

I am writing from my cell here at the Port Isabel Detention Center in Texas . I would like to thank everyone who has taken time to write me letters, sent me cards, and purchased and sent in the books that have been listed on this site and elsewhere. All these things help make my days in here much more tolerable than they otherwise would be.

And to everyone who has shown interest and concern about my case and has contributed, no matter how little, you have my heartfelt thanks. As the case progresses we will update the site to keep you all informed as to how individuals can further help in whatever ways reveal themselves.

I would also bring to your attention the plight of other Irish Republican ex-prisoners who have made their homes here in the US, who are, like myself, being harassed by Homeland Security and are living under the constant threat of similar treatment as myself. There will be more information on all this presented as we get it coming in the weeks ahead.

Again, many, many thanks.

Pól Brennan

US politicians seek bail for Maze escapee

By Jim Dee in Boston
Thursday, 31 July 2008

Three United States congressmen have signed a letter to Department of Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff calling for Maze escapee Pol Brennan to be granted bail, pending resolution of deportation proceedings against him.

Massachusetts Democratic Congressman Richard Neal, and New York Republicans Peter King and Jim Walsh, wrote that "Brennan's continued detention without bond appears to serve no end that is consistent with the interest of the United States to foster a lasting peace in Northern Ireland."

The Congressmen said that, in light of his 19-year marriage to American Joanna Volz, "and provisions in the law to waive his prior unlawful presence in the US, Mr. Brennan ought to be granted the opportunity to contest the charge of removal with the privilege of release on bond.

“His continued detention is not justified for the security of the United States or its people nor is he a flight risk."

Until last week, Brennan had been in the Port Isabel Detention Center in Los Fresnos, Texas, since being detained on January 27 at a Texas immigration checkpoint for having a lapsed work permit.

Brennan was one of 38 IRA prisoners who escaped the Maze in September 1983. After entering America months later, he was eventually caught in 1993.

A chairde,

Pól’s father Joe, brothers and sisters Patrick, Edmund, Linda, Marian, Kathleen, Moya, Joanne and Sal all support Pol’s fight against deportation and have been working to raise awareness of his plight. The Ballymurphy community are very supportive of us in our efforts, through the Ballymurphy Ex-Prisoners group, the Resource Centre and our friends and neighbours.

How you can Help

Click on the link above to go to our How you can help page. e-mail if you can help us in our efforts to allow this family to live in peace.

Contact elected representatives

We are asking supporters of Pól to contact their elected representatives and ask that they support Pol's request that Homeland Security drop their opposition to bail and allow him the opportunity to fight his case in a fairer manner.

Click on the link above to go to our How you can help page

Download Support Flyer for Pól below in Word or PDF format Click on icons Below

Facts on Pól Brennan

Pól has lived in the US since 1984 when he met and married an American citizen, In 2000 he and 3 others won the right to stay and work in the US after the British Government withdrew extradition proceedings against Pol and 3 other defendants for Political actions in the north of Ireland they were granted hearings to apply for political asylum which are still ongoing Pol has since 2000 lived and worked openly in the bay area of California.

Pól is not undocumented, he has a work authorization application in the system since 2006 but has not received this permit nor has he been refused this permit, he was stopped and imprisoned on a bureaucratic mistake that has escalated to an inactive deportation order being activated which is completely ignoring the order from the court that he could stay until a political asylum hearing can be heard.

Pól is in confinement in a federal detention center in Texas and is likely to remain there at least until September. Please contact your local elected representatives and ask, why are former Irish political activists being targeted by Homeland Security? They are no threat they have found new lives and new loves here in the US and wish only to be allowed to live in peace with their families.

All Pól is looking is for Homeland Security to drop its opposition to bail and allow him the opportunity to fight his case in a fairer manner in court.