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Latest Immigration News and Articles
6th May 2012 - President Higgins backs E3 Visa program during Boston visit
President Michael D Higgins has lent his support to Senator Scott Brown’s E3 visa program – and urged Irish Americans not to forget the famine. The recently elected Irish leader chose his first official visit to Boston to highlight his concerns for the illegal emigrants.
Acknowledging that the president doesn’t get involved in political decisions, Higgins did outline his thoughts on the proposed bill that would allow thousands of Irish to live and work in the US in two-year increments.
He stated: “I don’t get involved in the day-to-day legislation, but obviously I am interested and concerned for all Irish.
“I see myself as a president for all of the Irish at home and abroad, so, yes, of course, I am supportive of anything that helps their situation. There are difficulties facing the Irish emigrating to America today. They have Skype now, so the break with home isn’t as severe as it was. But if somebody dies at home, or there’s a wedding, they still have real difficulties both exiting and re-entering.”
Returning to Boston – he honeymooned there in the mid-70s – Higgins described the city as the "capital of Irish America."
“Boston is maybe the most Irish of all the cities," Higgins said. “And I was mayor of Galway twice, and Galway is a huge component of Boston’s Irish population.”
Extending an invitation to Irish America to return home for The Gathering festival in 2013, Higgins also urged them to remember the Famine and its victims as he laid a wreath at the Boston Irish Famine Memorial. He added: “My message to them about it is, never to forget, but to use our memories in a way that empowers us and that enables us to make an amnesty of the bad part of it. The Famine was Ireland’s greatest social calamity. Even today the world struggles to stamp out hunger. To international relations, governments, and the institutions which generations place their trust in, it remains one of the great unresolved ethical challenges of our time - the daily needless loss of life to hunger and preventable diseases.”
24th April 2012 - Hopes are dimming for passage of Irish E3 visa bill in Congress
Hopes of passage of an E3 visa bill to help legal Irish immigration are fading as the main Republican sponsor, Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass), seems to be unable to line up enough GOP support.
A leading Republican lobbyist has told IrishCentral that Brown lacks the clout within the Republican caucus to deliver, despite his very best efforts to do so.
“It is not Scott Brown’s fault, but he simply is not able to convince the old bulls in his own party that he needs this piece of legislation,” said the GOP lobbyist.
Fifty three Democrats have signed on to the bill put forward by Senator Charles Schumer which would grant 10,000 work visas a year to qualified Irish, similar to what Australia receives.
Brown has the support of a handful of GOP senators for his version of the same bill but needs far more to guarantee that the bill can pass.
Efforts to reach a settlement with Iowa Senator Charles Grassley, who has held up the bill, have not worked out. Also Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to use his clout to get the
bill through his caucus to date.
Irish activists are now considering another all out pitch at more senior Republicans to get them on board for the bill. The time frame is considered relatively short for action on it before the
election climate hots up.
The Irish government is also working all out to try and secure passage of the bill, believing it is the best that will be on offer for some time.
“It can be done if a few of the veteran senators can be persuaded,” said the GOP lobbyist. "That is how the Australians did it, they got then Senate Majority leader Bill Frist on side, to pass it.
The Irish need that type of clout."
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has made clear that he will make every personal effort including phoning key senators to make the bill happen.
21st March 2012 - Senator Durbin calls for Irish E3 Visa Bill Passage
Ireland’s contributions to America
Press Release by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)
There is good reason that Americans of all backgrounds embrace St. Patrick’s Day with such enthusiasm. From our earliest days as a nation, America and Ireland and America have been united by unbreakable bonds of friendship and family and by a shared commitment to liberty and freedom.
In fact, there might not be a United States of America were it not for the Irish. That is not just my opinion. That was the assessment of General George Washington and of Britain’s Lord Mountjoy, who, in a speech to Parliament declared plainly, “We have lost America through the Irish.”
The largest ethnic group to sign the Declaration of Independence were those with Irish roots, Charles Dunlop of County Tyrone printed the first copies, and the first man to read it before Congress was Charles Thomson of Derry, Secretary of the Continental Congress.
When the Continental Congress was in desperate need of finances, supporters in Dublin, Cork, and other Irish cities took up collections to help the struggling new nation. Irish-born generals ranked among Washington’s most trusted officers and Irish soldiers formed the backbone of Washington’s army. At Valley Forge, it is estimated that almost half the army was Irish.
In the more than two centuries since then, America has been enriched immeasurably by the contributions of the Irish and Irish-Americans in every field and every walk of life.
Twenty American Presidents – nearly half – can trace their lineage to Ireland, from George Washington to Barack Obama of the Kearneys of Moneygall. And the contributions go both ways. Just as the sons of Erin helped make George Washington America’s first president, it was a son of America, Brooklyn-born Eamonn deValera, who, in 1921, became the first president of a free Ireland.
Irish E3 Visas
In December, Senators Schumer, Leahy and I introduced an amendment that recognizes the special relationship between the United States and Ireland. Our Irish E3 visa amendment would allow a small number of Irish citizens – 10,500 a year – to work in America for two years, pay taxes and contribute to Social Security.
Our proposal is an amendment to the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, which passed the House last November with overwhelming bipartisan support. Shortly after we introduced our amendment, my colleague from Illinois, Senator Kirk, and Senator Brown of Massachusetts introduced a similar measure.
Our proposal is a common-sense measure that would improve the fairness and efficiency of our immigration system and further strengthen America’s special relationship with Ireland, a nation to whom we owe so much.
Our proposal has the support of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, Chicago Celts for Immigration Reform headed by my friend Billy Lawless of Chicago, and many other organizations.
All 53 Democratic Senators – a solid majority of this Senate – have also pledged their support for our proposal. Despite this broad support inside and outside of Congress, at this time there is an objection on the Republican side to passing our bill.
We want to work with our Republican colleagues to break this impasse and create the Irish E3 visas this year. As Prime Minister Kenny has said, Ireland’s economy will recover from its current difficulties. But with Irish emigration higher than it has been in decades, it is in the interests of both Ireland and America that we act now, without delay, to create a fair and legal way for Irish citizens to work temporarily in America.
Support for Ireland is a bipartisan American tradition
Twenty-nine years ago, Speaker Tip O’Neill hosted the first St. Patrick’s Day luncheon in Congress. His special guest at that first Speaker’s St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon was another Irish American leader who said, when he visited Ireland, “Today I come back to you as a descendant of people who were buried here in pauper's graves.”
That special guest was President Ronald Reagan and that first Speaker’s Luncheon was arranged to try to ease tensions between the two leaders, who embodied very different political traditions, but who shared a love of Ireland and of their Irish heritage.
The plan worked. While Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill never did see eye-to-eye on politics, they formed a respectful relationship that enabled them to work together in America’s interest. So I ask our Republican friends: Let us walk in the footsteps of Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill and work together to pass the Irish E3 visa bill this year.
28 February 2012: Irish Seek Support for E3 Visa Bill By Breandán Magee
Chicago Irish Immigrant Support Chairman, Cyril Regan, and Executive Director Breandán Magee joined Celts for Immigration Reform Chair, Billy Lawless, in New York on February 9th for a meeting with the Irish Premier Enda Kenny.
The trio was part of a contingent that met with the Taoiseach and Irish Ambassador to the United States, Michael Collins. The AOH, Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) and members of the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers joined Chicago's representatives in an hour long meeting that touched on recent legislative moves on the Hill to secure visas for the Irish, as well as a host of other community issues.
The Taoiseach reiterated his support for an Irish E3 visa that would allow up to 10,000 Irish nationals to access a two year, renewable work-visa. The E3 Bill has garnered bipartisan support in the Senate but it is currently being held up Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA).
Work behind the scenes on securing a visa for the Irish began after a bill, HR3012, championed by the hi-tech industry passed the House 389-19 in November. That bill proposed changes to the current green card country quota caps that would have shortened waiting times for nationals of China and India seeking employment-based green cards and also would have increased family-based green cards for Mexico and the Philippines.
The Irish community quickly mobilized around this bill and called for an amendment to it in the Senate that would allow the Irish to use the 10,000 E3 reciprocal work visas allocated to Australia that went unused each year. The Celts for Immigration Reform spearheaded the Chicago moves along with the AOH and ILIR to secure political support, resulting in an Irish E3 bill sponsored by Senators Schumer (D-NY), Durbin (D-IL) and Leahy (D-VT). The Republicans soon followed suit with an almost identical bill cosponsored by Senators Brown (R-MA) and Kirk (R-IL).
With momentum rolling the Irish worked tirelessly nationwide to bolster support across the aisle for these two bills. The path was made clearer when Senator Schumer omitted a provision for waivers for the undocumented from his bill that made the two bills almost identical in nature. All that is needed now are the 60 votes to pass the bill in the Senate and prevent a filibuster. It is expected that it will pass the House again without upset but Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee has stalled the bill citing concerns over H1B visa regulation.
Celts Chairman Billy Lawless was quoted as saying “even if we get Grassley’s support we need broad cross party support” to get the bill through the Senate. Senator Schumer who recently hotlined Bill S.1983 (The Irish E3 proposal), officially attaching it to HR3012 has guaranteed the votes of the 53 Senate Democrats and so far 5 Republicans have lined up in support.
Jeff Cleary, Co Chair of The Irish American Republicans, a coalition of Irish Americans in the Republican party founded in 1868, recently praised Senators Brown and Kirk saying “Sen. Scott Brown and Sen. Mark Kirk are heroes to the Irish in America”, adding that “legal immigration is the foundation upon which this great country has been built.”
While in Washington in February the Taoiseach Enda Kenny and the Tanaiste Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore met with key players in the debate including Senator Brown. Meetings have also been held on the Hill recently between the Irish Embassy, the Celts for Immigration Reform, ILIR and the staffers of various senators. The meetings have focused on securing the key backing of Senate Minority Leader Mitch Mc Connell (R-KY) and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas).
Manus Cooney, who served as Chief Counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee under its Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT), has undertaken pro bono work for the Celts for Immigration Reform and has his finger on the pulse on this issue.
He noted “Ninety nine per cent of the issues involved don’t even involve the E3”, adding “(but) the key point here is the fact that they (Senators Schumer, Grassley, Brown and Cornyn) appear to be talking”. Cooney went on to say “To their credit the Irish saw a moving vehicle and got Senators Schumer, Brown and various others on board. If the underlying vehicle stalls however, it will be beyond the control of Senators Schumer and Brown alone to remedy”.
The Irish community nationwide has mobilized around this issue and there has been unprecedented cooperation between cities and groups that have had little interaction in the past. The AOH made a statement signed by National President Seamus Boyle and National Immigration Chairman Dan Dennehy that called on its members to support legislative moves to secure E3 style visas for the Irish while recognizing that the current political climate makes it difficult to assist the undocumented Irish who are already here.
Perhaps as an indication of the success so far, the backlash against the Irish E3 has begun with Roy Beck, President of the Washington-based anti-immigration group Numbers USA, quoted in the Boston Globe saying “(the Irish) are basically upset because they don’t have the special privileges that they once had” adding “they have to share those privileges with Latinos and Africans and Asians”.
Whatever the backlash it seems clear that the Irish groups nationwide have momentum on their side and are pushing for a vote before St Patrick’s Day. Perhaps the luck of the Irish in securing an Irish E3 visa will see many smiling Irish eyes in Washington D.C this year.
E-3 waiting game continues
Irish visas at mercy of 'underlying vehicle'
Despite a spike in cross-Atlantic interest last week as Senator Scott Brown (R-Massachusetts) told Boston-based media that the proposed Irish E-3 visa was “about to pop” on Capitol Hill, there have as yet been no new developments.
Though visits to New York in the past few days by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore raised expectations, discussions continue between Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and supporters of Bipartisan Bill HR3012 - the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act - to which the Irish E-3 proposal is attached.
Senator Charles Schumer (D-New York) recently hotlined Bill S.1983 (the Irish E-3 proposal) in the Senate, officially attaching it to HR3012, a bill aimed at eliminating country-based caps on the number of employment visas issued annually, and boosting similar limits for immigrants sponsored by a spouse or relative currently in the US.
HR3012 has been supported by US high-tech companies keen to resolve backlogs in securing visas for skilled workers from abroad, particularly India and China. However, despite passing the House 389-15 in November, it has been prevented from going before the Senate by Senator Grassley, who is seeking broader reforms for employer-sponsored visas such as the H1B.
Schumer’s amendments to HR3012 are modeled on the Australian reciprocal E-3 visa, and would allow 10,000 Irish per annum to come and work legally in the US. The visas are for two years and can be renewed, but they are temporary non-immigrant work visas, not green cards. Schumer had initially included concessions for the undocumented which would have allowed them to return home and re-apply for the new visas, but these have now been removed owing to Republican opposition.
Senator Brown subsequently introduced the standalone Irish Immigration Reform and Encouragement (IRE) Act (S.2005), aimed at adding the Irish directly to the E-3 visa program. It never contained any waivers for the undocumented, and is now practically identical to the Schumer bill.
Cross-party support
Both Brown and Schumer are now working to gather cross-party support for their proposals, as separate negotiations continue between Grassley and the high-tech lobby on the reforms he is seeking. Grassley is not though to have any specific objection to the Irish E-3.
Speaking with Irish Central Manus Cooney, who has undertaken pro bono legal work for the Chicago Celts for Immigration Reform on various issues and is working closely with Irish groups on the E-3 discussions, said that although the signs were good, any possible Irish E-3 breakthrough is completely at the mercy of Senator Grassley’s flexibility on HR3012.
From 1996-2000 Cooney served as chief counsel and staff director of the Senate Judiciary Committee as the principal legal and policy advisor to the Committee’s chairman, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). As such, he is well versed on the type of horse trading currently underway. He also has a strong insight into the high-tech sector, having served as a policy advisor for the file-sharing company Napster from 2000-2002.
”Ninety percent of the issues at stake don’t even involve the E-3,” Cooney said of the discussions ongoing between Grassley and others. “The underlying vehicle – HR3012 – passed the House and it is concerned primarily with per-country visa limits. Speculation that a breakthrough is imminent is pretty premature.”
Meetings have been held on Capitol Hill over the past few weeks between the Irish Embassy, representatives of Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform and the Chicago Celts for Immigration Reform, and the staffers of numerous senators. Most recently, efforts have focused on gaining crucial backing on the E-3 from Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) in the hope of getting the Irish proposal past the necessary Senate majority.
“The key point here is the fact they (Senators Schumer, Grassley, Brown and Cornyn) appear to be talking,” Cooney said. “It’s a very welcome development. To their credit, the Irish saw a moving vehicle and got Senators Schumer, Brown and various others on board. If the underlying vehicle stalls, however, it will be beyond the control of Senators Schumer and Brown alone to remedy.”
Solution
If a solution to Grassley’s hold can be found, should the bill then pass the Senate it will return to the House for final approval, which would appear likely given that HR3012 has already resoundingly passed there.
Cooney met last week with the Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore in Washington, and welcomed his taking the time to meet with Senator Brown and others during his trip.
“I think his visit was a very positive step,” he said. “Coming from Ireland and the coalition government he helps lead, he recognizes that to get anything done in tough times, you need to get people together and get consensus, putting aside differences no matter how difficult that may be.”
As long expected, a backlash to the Irish-specific visa has now arrived, with Roy Beck, president of the Washington-based anti-immigration group Numbers USA, telling the Boston Globe that the Irish are “basically upset because they don’t have the special privileges that they once had,” and should not be given favor ahead of other groups.
“They have to share those privileges with Latinos and Africans and Asians,” he said.
Meanwhile there has also been opposition to the E-3 from within Irish circles, with Jack Meehan, former national president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians of America, saying in an email to Irish Central that the E-3 proposal does not go nearly far enough, and that only fundamental change to the “antiquated, outdated, and draconian 1965 Immigration Act” should be accepted.
“If a permanent resolution is not reached now,” he said, “it will be déjà vu all over again twenty years from now. It is my honest belief that to settle for something like this is to do a great disservice to those wishing to emigrate from Ireland, but more importantly a far greater disservice to our undocumented Irish nationals currently residing here who have been completely left out in the cold.”
31st January 2012 - Irish Immigrants Continue To Arrive To The US
76,400 left Ireland in 2011
Over 14,000 Irish people emigrated to the U.S. during 2010, an increase of seven percent on the previous year, reports the Irish Independent.
Almost 70,000 Irish workers left Irish shores during 2010, the majority moving to Britian, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the U.S. and Germany. This represented an almost 50 percent surge, up from the 46,0000 who emigrated in 2009.
The U.S. attracted 14,288 workers from Ireland, with the majority being on temporary work permits. New York, California and Massachusetts continue to be the most popular destination for Irish emigrants.
Some 1,500 Irish citizens became permanent U.S. residents in 2010, a fifth of whom were new arrivals to the country.
The figures were released by the Irish Independent as part of their investigation into the continuing wave of emigrants leaving Irish shores.
Over 16,000 people made the move to Britain in search of work in the UK 2010/11 tax year. Figures from the UK Department of Work and Pensions show that over 300 Irish people per week applied for national insurance numbers to allow them to work, during 2011. The vast majority of applicants were aged 18 to 34.
The department reported the increase was because: "the Irish economy has recently experienced one of the sharpest recessions in the eurozone".
Australia witnessed a 15 percent surge in arrival of Irish emigrants, with 27, 995 arriving during their 2010/11 tax year, the majority of whom were on work visas.
Over 3,000 Irish citizens applied for permanent residency in Oz during 2011, with almost 50 percent being new arrivals.
New Zealand attracted 4,586 Irish emigrants during the 2010/11 tax year, three times more than a decade ago. Between July and December of 2011, 2,100 were granted work visas.
In Canada, almost 4,000 Irish emigrants acquired work permits in the first six months of 2011, according to their latest Citizenship and Immigration statistics.
During 2010, 4,461 Irish people emigrated to Canada, an increase of 34 percent on 2009.
In Germany, unpublished government statistics show that 1,426 Irish people emigrated there in 2010, a 16 percent increase on the previous year.
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Green Card changes seek to end US immigrant separation
Many immigrants prefer to remain in hiding than endure prolonged separation from their familiesNew US immigration rules could shorten the time families are separated when illegal immigrants apply for a Green Card, the White House has said.
Undocumented immigrants (who entered without inspection) applying for residency are forced to leave the US, often for years, while their case is considered.
But a new rule allows legitimate Green Card applicants to seek permission to return before leaving the country.
Former undocumented immigrants can be banned from re-entry for up to a decade, often separating couples and children.
Applicants for Green Cards - who may be undocumented and married to or born to American citizens - are required to return to their country of birth in order to obtain their residency visas.
The waivers to allow a quick return may be issued if the applicants are able to show that separation from their families would cause "extreme hardship" to a US citizen, the New York Times reports.
Under current rules the waiver can only be requested after the Green Card applicant has already left the US, and the process can be uncertain and lengthy.
Many undocumented immigrants are deterred from applying for legal status because of the risk that they may spend years away from their families or be separated from them permanently, analysts say.
The plan put forward by the Obama administration would not require congressional approval to come into effect.
It is the latest of several executive actions taken by President Barack Obama to move his policy agenda forward in the face of opposition from lawmakers.
The plan is likely to attract support from the large Latino community in the US, an important constituency for the president in the November 2012 elections.
Hibernians see E-3 bills as timely and due
Dan Dennehy of the AOH (l) and Senator Patrick Leahy.
The Ancient Order of Hibernians is this week praising the emergence of not one, but two bills in Congress that promise E-3 renewable visas to Irish applicants.
In a statement, The order avoided placing itself in between the two bills, one offered by Senate Democrats, and the other by Senate Republicans, and instead focused on the reasons why Ireland should be the recipient of an E-3 visa deal, much in the way that Australia secured one a few years ago.
The statement, signed by National President Seamus Boyle, and Dan Dennehy, the order’s national immigration chairman, reiterated that since its inception 175 years ago, the AOH has been active in working to improve the lives of Irish immigrants.
The statement, which is reproduced here in its near entirety said: “Now celebrating our 175th year, we continue to live up to the preamble of the AOH Constitution which requires that we encourage an equitable U.S. Immigration law for Ireland, and to cooperate with all groups for a fair American immigration policy.
“In the 1960s, AOH members participated in an effort to prevent removal of the quota of Irish visas by the Immigration Act of 1965. Those concerns were proven as successive economic downturns have left many of the Irish without the option to emigrate legally to the U.S. In the last 25 years, AOH has worked with the Irish Immigration Reform Movement, Irish Lobby For Immigration Reform, as well as many other organizations and government officials from the two nations, and elsewhere, to rectify the quota and restore the important cultural exchange between Ireland and the U.S.
“Current events and developments prove our understanding of the need to work with others to meet this goal. One of the great developments of the recent weeks was a videoconference and one week later a teleconference facilitated by the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers and the Irish embassy.
“In cities across the U.S., Irish immigration advocates, in many cases seeing and speaking live to each other for the first time, shared ideas on the recent moves by Congress.
“AOH, ILIR and Rep. Bruce Morrison, Boston Irish and Chicago Celts and several other advocacy groups outlined recent work towards an Irish E3 and concerns for the undocumented. We look forward to working with all of the groups towards a successful outcome.
“The second and more immediate development is the introduction of two bills that propose an Irish E3. The first bill was proposed by Senators Schumer, Leahy and Durbin and it was quickly followed by the Irish Immigration and Encouragement Act sponsored by Republican Senators Brown (MA) and Kirk (IL).
“While neither bill solves the undocumented issue, they do address future flow from Ireland. The bills would modify the E3 visa, currently available to only Australia and a few select countries. The modifications would recognize Ireland’s excellent education system and allows Irish Nationals with a ‘leaving cert’ or two years experience in a trade to apply for 10,500 two year renewable visas. We are grateful to the sponsors of both of these bills for their recognition of the longstanding inequities relating to immigration from Ireland.
“Right now, AOH members across the U.S. are meeting and reaching out to their U.S. representatives and senators as part of the initiative to secure “the Irish E3 Visa.” The AOH maintains that Ireland has been extremely supportive to U.S. Homeland Security and Defense with the Shannon Stopover of U.S. Troops coming and going from the War On Terror and the innovations of U.S. Customs and Immigration at Ireland’s Shannon and Dublin airports.
“We are asking Congress to thank Ireland with an E3 as it had Australia in 2005. In this way, with 10,500 annual renewable visas, a secure and legal path to immigration will be restored, preventing the need for Irish people to seek less desirable methods to escape the current economic hardships in Ireland and strengthen the bond between our two nations.”
3rd October 2011: Diversity Visa Lottery 2013 Now Over
The online registration period for the electronic Diversity Visa Lottery is over. Registration opened October 4 and continued until November 5, 2011.
7th September, 2011: Cook County Passes Historic Pro-Immigrant Ordinance
Cook County, the most populous county in the nation and home to the City of big shoulders, Chicago, passed a historic pro-immigrant ordinance on Wednesday September 7th. The Cook County Board voted 10-5 to pass a simple, well-reasoned ordinance on immigration after hearing the arguments of the Chicago Celts for Immigration Reform and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrants and Refugee Rights (ICIRR).
For the rest of the article, click here
12 April 2010 - Immigration Rally in Washington, DC
A great article written by our friend Breandán Magee, Executive Director of Chicago Irish Immigrant Support, for the Irish American News in Chicago following the Immigration Rally in D.C. on March
21, 2010.
Chairman of the Chicago Celts for Immigration Reform, Billy Lawless and President of Irish Immigrant Support, Cyril Regan led an Irish delegation to Washington D.C. Sunday March 21. They joined a
contingent from the Boston and Philadelphia Irish Centers to add an Irish element to a pro-immigrant rally on the Mall, which drew a massive crowd of over 200,000 people.
The organizer of the rally, Reform Immigration for America, is a national umbrella group, which represents a broad spectrum of community and faith based organizations who advocate fixing our broken
immigration system. They support securing the borders and providing a path to legalization for the estimated 12 million undocumented workers – 55,000 of whom are Irish – in the USA.
Many prominent politicians, faith leaders, union organizers and community leaders spoke passionately to the crowd. However the biggest cheer of the day was reserved for President Obama who delivered
a televised speech, which commended the demonstrators for their commitment to comprehensive immigration reform. Many in the throng carried banners calling on President Obama to match his words with
actions and to keep to his election promise of implementing immigration reform. They were not to be disappointed as the President reiterated his support for comprehensive reform of the current system
and drew attention to his desire to see such legislation dealt with in 2010.
Whitehouse spokesperson Shin Inouye, in a statement on the subject said “ (the President’s) commitment to fix our broken immigration system remains unwavering and he continues to hope for bi-partisan
leadership on legislation”.
Observers agree that if Sunday’s historic vote on health care reform becomes law, immigration reform will be back on the political and legislative agenda. The time for action however is short – four
months – before legislators break to campaign for mid term elections. Other major issues also remain to be dealt with however, such as financial reform and campaign financing, making the path to
immigration legislation far from clear. Supporters of comprehensive immigration reform remain hopeful though and have been bolstered by the huge numbers that showed up on the steps of the Capitol
building.
Inside the halls of Congress Senators Schumer (D) and Graham (R) have been working together for months on a bi-partisan bill, which they hope to make public in the Spring. Senator Schumer is working
very hard to build a coalition in the Senate and Congressman Luis Gutierrez is doubling his efforts in the House.
The Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles Cardinal Mahoney also addressed the rally, and reaffirmed his commitment to a humane immigration system that recognizes the dignity of the human person. He
reminded all men of faith that the New Testament calls us to welcome the stranger in our midst and to recognize the migrant as a brother or sister in Christ.
It was not so long ago that the Irish were considered strangers in this great land and Billy Lawless of the Chicago Celts quoted a Chicago Tribune article from 1895 which called for “every Irishman
in the city to be hung from the lampposts”. He told the crowd that the Irish were victims of nativism, hatemongering and xenophobia in the 19th century just as new waves of immigrants face hardships
and racism today.
The monumental rally in D.C. was the latest, perhaps pivotal event in a long campaign for immigration reform. The Irish community and the Chicago Celts continue to lobby publicly and advocate behind
the scenes for legislation that will make a difference to the lives of millions. Our great nation was founded on immigration and our strength has always been our willingness to accept the huddled
masses; our future is no less dependant on that reality.
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