Thanks for enriching our community, now get out

An Angolan family living in Waterford for four years, with two children in primary school, are facing deportation in the coming weeks. They spoke to Colin Murphy

The Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has continued to authorise the deportation of asylum seekers in recent weeks, with a further mass deportation possibly scheduled for 27 April or soon after.

A large number of Nigerian families have been told to re-attend at the Garda National Immigration Bureau on 27 April, and to bring their children with them. People from other African countries, including Sierra Leone and Angola, which are both in the throes of troubled and complicated post-conflict political processes, have also been issued with deportation orders.

An Angolan family of four who have lived in Waterford for four years are threatened with deportation in early May. João Pinto fled Angola with his Congolese wife, Juliana Bondo, and two young sons in early 2001. They initially spent two years in an accomodation centre in Tramore, which Pinto recalled: "The life in the centre is not normal; you're there like a person in prison, everything is controlled. The children were always crying, saying 'Papa, this can't go on, life here is bad'."

The family were subsequently allowed to move into a house in Waterford city, where Pinto became a full-time volunteer assistant in a local French-speaking Christian church, the Christian Centre, and the boys settled into the local primary schools.

Both the boys are now fluent in English. Though at home they speak Lingala, their father's native language, neither of them remember any Portuguese, the national language of Angola, nor have they any clear memories of Angola. Pinto said he told them about the deportation when he was first notified, but they got upset, and he has not mentioned it since.

Twelve-year-old João Makumbu said he had a lot of friends in Waterford. "It's awesome, it's great" he said. Asked what he liked about Waterford, he shrugged and laughed. "You learn things, hang out with your friends, talk about stuff," he said.

João Makumbu's teacher in fifth-class at Mount Sion primary school, Ed O'Brien, said João was "well integrated and socialised to the point that he's cracking a laugh with his classmates". João is particularly talented at drama and art, and did an art project for this year's Feile na Scoileanna, he said. "He stunned us all in the school this year, his work was absolutely fabulous, to the point of gifted."

"I'd hate to see him ripped out like that at this stage", O'Brien said. He said João's classmates were "very fond of him, they get on well as a class. Together they look out for one another."

The principal of Mount Sion primary school, Declan Foley said it was "great for our own children that we have non-nationals in the schools".

Nine-year-old Jonathan Makumbu attends St Stephen's De La Salle. Though he had been doing well, in recent weeks his work had deteriorated, said his father, and his teacher had telephoned to see if there were problems at home. St Stephen's home school liaison co-ordinator, Carmel King, described the family as " very family oriented, caring and open family who are devoted to their religion" in a letter to the Minister for Justice. "They genuinely want to work here... they would contribute greatly to our community. We, as a community, would benefit from their caring nature and generosity of spirit," she said.

Rita Roe, a neighbour, agreed: "They're lovely people. I couldn't find any better neighbours anywhere."

The family were refused asylum, and subsequently applied for leave to remain in Ireland on humanitarian grounds. The Refugee Legal Service, which is a State body that offers legal assistance to asylum seekers, stated that João Pinto and his wife, Juliana Bondo, "would have little difficulty in securing employment should they be allowed to work, they are educated, they have attended English classes and between them they can speak some English, Portuguese, Lingala and French and the children are learning Irish at school". The Department of Justice's Repatriation Unit recommended to the Minister that the application be refused.

A letter seen by Village, which João Pinto says was sent to him by a friend in Angola in December last, warned him "they came once more to seek for you at your home and they took some people from your compound. Angola has deteriorated, you shouldn't even dare coming back".

Although Angola's 27-year-long conflict between the MPLA government and UNITA rebels ended in 2002 with the military defeat of UNITA, the government has since failed to schedule democratic elections and has been repeatedly accused both of widespread human rights abuses and extensive corruption.

However, João Pinto said he was not threatened by the security forces so much as by people in the community. People would remember his support for UNITA, he said, and could target him or his family because of this.