Emma DeSouza

DeSouza took the first human rights case[10] of the Good Friday Agreement when she and her US husband sued the British Home Secretary over her right to be accepted as Irish under the terms of the Agreement. The case related to European Union family reunion rights and resulted in substantial changes to domestic UK immigration rules.[11] In May 2020,[12] the British Home Office announced that the people of Northern Ireland would be considered EU citizens for immigration purposes.[13] This result was cited as a significant victory.[14]

The case received widespread political support, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar[15] singled out DeSouza for praise during an address to an audience in Washington, D.C., which included US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis, at the National Building Museum.

DeSouza's other campaign work includes voting rights for Irish Citizens Abroad[16] and campaigning for full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.[17]

DeSouza was one of a number of high-profile [9] people targeted by the columnist Eoghan Harris under his anonymous Twitter account Barbara J. Pym.[18] According to DeSouza, "Much of the abuse was levied at Northern Ireland nationalists, or those deemed nationalists by Harris".[19]

DeSouza is running as an independent candidate in Fermanagh and South Tyrone at the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election. She said she believed the election had the potential to significantly disrupt the status quo of Northern politics and that "[k]ey to that change will be independent voices unafraid to join the growing demographic of 'others' not content being shuffled into outdated political movements with partisan ideals".[20]