Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 33 VTMBH Article: Article Order 1 VTMBH Article: Title Valor = Visa VTMBH Article: Author Stephen McKinley VTMBH Article: Publication Irish Echo VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb A Belfast-born paramedic in New York whose immigration status had expired last year has been granted the right to stay in the United States by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) as a result of his rescue work on September 11th. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body A Belfast-born paramedic in New York whose immigration status had expired last year has been granted the right to stay in the United States by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) as a result of his rescue work on September 11th. The INS confirmed last week that Roger Smyth, who is 36, would receive a three-year renewable O-visa, normally granted to aliens of extraordinary ability or talent, such as artists, performers or scientists. Smyths case was taken up by attorney Eamonn Dornan, who thought that there might be merit in applying for a visa for Smyth based in his extraordinary bravery in the aftermath of the World Trade Center tragedy. Its wonderful news, said Dornan, a partner in the law firm Smyth, Dornan and Shea. He stressed that Smyths case was seen from the start as highly unlikely to succeed. He will be able to travel freely to home and back again. Normally this visa is reserved for people like, say, an artist such as Brian Kennedy. On September 11th, Smyth had responded to the World Trade Center, was caught in the debris cloud of the collapsing towers, and spent the next 48 hours trying to rescue the injured. He gave a vivid description of Ground Zero to the Echo after the tragedy. Im not out of the woods yet, said Smyth, who still has to clear some bureaucratic hurdles with the State Department, but Eamonn did an excellent job. He is tenacious and very down to earth, like all us Northerners. Dornan added that along with letters testifying to Smyths work from New York Senator Charles Schumer, they were able to convince the INS that Smyth had made an extraordinary contribution, and was a person of extraordinary ability. Smyth, who has been in the United States since 1997, overstayed his student visa that allowed him to study Paramedic Technology at Northeastern University in Boston, and moved to New York, where he started work as a paramedic. When his sister became ill with cancer in 2000 back in Belfast, Smyth returned to see her and had problems reentering the United States in February 2001. He was aware that he was out of status but still hoped to find some way that he could visit his sister, who he said, is now in remission after cancer treatment. After September 11th, amid the frenzied attempts to find survivors and then to recover bodies, one small detail stuck out in Smyths mind: a police officer stared at his helmet and pointed out to Smyth that the numbers on the front were, coincidently, 9-11-0. Traumatized like many others by what he experienced, Smyth said that he is still coming to terms with what he saw on September 11th, and that it had changed his life profoundly. But he is thankful for other reasons. My sister is doing good, she has been able to visit me here and is in remission, he said. Smyth continues to work as a paramedic. Most recently he was on the team that responded to an apartment building in Little Italy when Nathan Maddox, a rock musician, was tragically struck by lightning and killed while watching a storm over Manhattan. Rogers case was like fitting a square peg in a round hole, Dornan said of Smyths case. Dornan also said that the case of Walsh visa couple James Murray and Ruth Gould, also from Belfast, might benefit from a new visa status, the U-visa for victims or witnesses of crimes committed in the U.S. As reported in the Echo, Murray and Gould were allegedly ripped off by their Las Vegas employer, Steve Smith, who has an extensive criminal record and has most recently been charged with attempting to kidnap a prostitute. The couple are at a safe location in Long Island, Dornan said, and are in the process of filing for a U-visa. The pair had been threatened with deportation after their former employer accused them of being terrorists. This will mean that they can stay in the United States at least until [their employers] court case can be disposed of, Dornan said. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-08-27 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 133 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Valor = Visa 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. A Belfast-born paramedic in New York whose immigration status had expired last year has been granted Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-08-27