Emma DeSouza is an Irish national, born in Northern Ireland who has been in a lengthy legal battle with the UK Home Office over her rights both as an Irish citizen and under the Belfast Good Friday Agreement. The case initially began as an immigration case when DeSouza applied for an EEA residence card for her US husband but has quickly morphed into a constitutional test of the Good Friday Agreement. Raising questions about the agreement enforceability.

The case also highlights a legislative gap that may leave NI born citizens especially vulnerable post Brexit with the current UK policy set to exclude NI born citizens from accessing their wider EU rights and entitlements. So the question remains, how will NI citizens access their EU rights post Brexit? And how does Brexit impact the delicate identity balance that exists in NI?