Morrison's American life was always precarious - this despite an American family and a longtime home in Missouri.
In recent times Matt Morrison's American life became even more precarious. So he decided to leave, to self-deport, to return to the Ireland he left behind a lifetime ago.
So is America better off for his absence? Is America better off for the absence of ever more of the undocumented, the unwanted, the men, women and children seemingly surplus to U.S. requirements?
Barring those who have committed serious crimes in our fifty states the answer to that is no.
Morrison, a member of the group known as the deportees, and a man who served his St. Louis, Missouri community for more than twenty years as a psychiatric nurse, self-deported in part due to his fear of being imprisoned in an ICE facility.
ICE facilities, according to numerous reports, are little more than hellholes. Morrison's health of late has not been good so detention would have had potentially devastating consequences.
And so, after 40 years in America, Morrison, who is married, is a father and grandfather, and a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, left the U.S. on July 21.
He told the Marshall Project that he voluntarily left the country due to fear of detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE.
According to a Marshall Project posting Morrison, who is 69, stated: "I would bite the dust in an ICE holding cell. There is nothing to stop them from deporting me to Ecuador, South Sudan or whatever. It's really gotten insane here. It's crazy what they are doing now, the Trump administration. You know what I mean?"
Morrison, a onetime IRA member who became a high profile advocate for the peace process, told the Marshall Project that although his work authorization expires in October he didn't want to spend the next few months in anxiety worrying about being deported.
Along with his wife, Morrison flew to Ireland out of Cleveland on Monday, July 21. He had a one-way ticket.
The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, in a statement, lamented the departure of Morrison from his adopted homeland.
The statement said in part: "It is with deep concern and sadness that we share the personal story of Matt Morrison, the husband of our National Vice President, Sandi Swift. Matt has been in the United States for 40 years. As part of the Good Friday agreement, Matt was a C14 Classification and has an Employment Authorization document that is up for renewal this fall.
"Matt has been a better non-citizen than most citizens. He served the St. Louis community as a nurse working in many specialized areas and with his mental health background taught police officers to recognize a mentally ill suspect and how to deescalate the situation.
"Matt is the perfect example on how immigrants make America a great country. It is a loss to our country, when immigrants like Matt live in fear of their future with the current immigration system. Matt suffered a stroke and realized he would not survive a detention holding center and the fact that they can deport you anywhere."
We could not agree more.
But being that "perfect example" Morrison's life in America was a reminder that there are a great many perfect examples who are now being shown America's door, or who are heading for that one golden door of their own accord, "self deporting" and leaving America behind. It's America's loss.
