Congressman Eliot Engel with Malachy McAllister
By Ray O'Hanlon
Long allied in their mutual effort to secure a permanent home in America for Malachy McAllister, Senator Charles Schumer has issued an endorsement of Congressman Eliot Engel, who faces a stiff challenge in the upcoming June 23 Democratic primary in his New York congressional district.
McAllister might be back in Ireland after his deportation from the U.S. last week, but his cause is still occupying the minds of Schumer and Engel, who has vowed to work towards securing McAllister's future return to America.
Said the Democratic leader in the Senate in endorsing the congressman: "I have a longtime, close friendship with Eliot Engel and have worked with him on many issues, including peace and justice in Ireland.
"From expanding affordable health care, to fighting for civil and human rights, to the fight to keep Malachy McAllister here in America, Eliot Engel has been a strong and effective fighter for the people of his district and all Americans -- and I am proud to endorse him.
"As chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot has protected our democracy from foreign attacks, has promoted human rights abroad and exposed excesses in Northern Ireland, and as a local leader Eliot improved mass transit and worked tirelessly with me after Hurricane Sandy to deliver the aid that enabled people in his district to recover and rebuild.
"I know from being by his side, when it comes to working for the people of his district in the Bronx and Westchester, Eliot Engel gets the job done."
