The Immigration Department has confirmed that only one member of the Irish hip-hop group Kneecap has been barred from entering Canada, contrary to an earlier statement made by a Liberal MP in September. This marks the first public response from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) regarding the trio since Vince Gasparro, parliamentary secretary for combatting crime, announced on social media that the group members were ineligible to enter Canada.
Gasparro accused Kneecap of having ties to organizations listed as terrorist groups in Canada, namely Hezbollah and Hamas. Following Gasparro’s video, Immigration Minister Lena Diab and other government officials refrained from discussing individual immigration cases due to privacy concerns.
However, after each band member gave consent to disclose their immigration statuses to CBC News, the IRCC provided an update. According to the IRCC, all three members had secured electronic travel authorizations (eTAs) to visit Canada, valid until 2029. One member, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, had his eTA revoked in August for failing to provide complete and accurate information on his application. This occurred while Ó hAnnaidh, also known as Mo Chara, was facing a terror-related charge in the UK, which was later dismissed by a London court.
The IRCC mentioned that the applications of the other two members, James John O Dochartaigh and Naoise O Caireallain, are currently under review. They were advised in September not to travel to Canada until further communication from the IRCC. Kneecap had plans to perform in Toronto and Vancouver in October but had to cancel several U.S. shows earlier.
The band’s manager, Dan Lambert, revealed that despite Gasparro’s video, the group had not received any official communication instructing them not to travel to Canada, except from the MP. Lambert emphasized that the band members were unaware of their immigration application statuses and that Gasparro’s video was their sole point of contact with the government. Additionally, Lambert disputed the IRCC’s claim of incomplete information on Ó hAnnaidh’s eTA application, as it was submitted before the legal issues arose.
