Saturday, November 7, 2009 Previous editions
Saturday, July 04, 2009
THERE will be no special deal for the illegal Irish in America, the new US ambassador to Ireland has said.
Daniel M Rooney, who presented his credentials to President Mary McAleese at a ceremony in Áras an Uachtaráin yesterday, said the Obama administration could not give one country more favourable treatment than another.
Instead, the administration would push ahead with efforts to pass legislation offering a path to all illegal immigrants to become legal, the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers American Football team said.
Asked if the political reality was there was no question of a special deal for the Irish, Mr Rooney replied: "It is. Our immigration has to be done on a whole wide-range basis.
"We have problems in the west with Mexico and some of the South American countries and things like that. So we have that and, in the east, we have Europe and Eastern Europe and places like that, that are doing it [illegal immigration].
"Congress is going to debate this and they have to look at it in its entirety. You can’t just make one rule for Ireland, as you can imagine."
The Government, aware of the miniscule chance of a special deal, has instead been exploring the possibility of a new, reciprocal two-year working visa arrangement between Ireland and the US.
Known as an E3 visa, it would be renewable, meaning a recipient could stay on in the US beyond the two-year spell.
But Mr Rooney also appeared to pour cold water on the prospect of the Government securing this type of arrangement.
"I think right now with the situation that exists with immigration generally for America, it’s hard to pinpoint that you’re going to do something for just one country.
"It has to work for everybody, and I think that’s what they have to do."
On other issues, Mr Rooney reiterated that the administration does not view Ireland as a tax haven.
President Barack Obama has announced plans to crack down on such havens and the practice of US multinationals using offshore structures to avoid and evade paying tax in America — raising fears that the proposals could affect US companies operating in Ireland.
"We don’t call Ireland a tax haven by any means," Mr Rooney said.
"The situation that the president wants… is that people should pay their taxes and companies should pay taxes… I don’t have the information or even the position to say [exactly] what he is trying to do and what Congress is going to do.
"This is something that remains to be seen as far as the whole tax picture [is concerned]."
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