State push to make 50,000 Irish in US legal

THE Government is making a major effort to have around 50,000 Irish immigrants in the US legalised.

The Taoiseach and Foreign Minister are taking advantage of the traditional St Patrick’s Day festivities to support a bill drawn up by US Senators Ted Kennedy and John McCain.

“We are lobbying not just President Bush in the Oval Office but congressmen all over the US during the next week”, said Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern as he set off for Dallas at the weekend.

Ten senior and junior ministers, including the Taoiseach, are in the US this week where they will cover 13 cities with a brief to push for the bill.

More than 2,000 Irish from across America gathered in Washington last month giving major impetus to the drive. It was organised by the recently-formed Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, funded by a €30,000 grant from the Irish Government.

Legislation is at a crucial stage now with the Senate Judiciary Committee crafting a compromise immigration bill.

Illegal immigrants could become citizens after six years following security background checks and provided they speak English and pay a $2,000 (€1,679) fine. Other aspects are a tamper-proof visa that would eliminate the risk for employers of hiring illegal immigrants with false documents.

There are up to 12 million illegals in the US and according to estimates, they are mostly Hispanic. Europeans account for about 6% and the Irish are just a fraction of that.

“President Bush told us last year that if this was only a matter of the few thousand illegal Irish then the problem could be solved easily. But this is not the case,” said Mr Ahern.

In recent weeks, and partly in response to the massive Irish campaign, a number of congressmen and senators have come out in support of the McCain Kennedy bill. They include Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton and Congressman Jim Walsh, chairman of the Friends of Ireland.

A second proposal before the US Senate would maintain the principle of deporting illegals and create only a guest worker programme without any promise of citizenship.

“If there is not the right to permanent residency then people will not come forward. Why would they if it means the authorities have all their details and in three to six years can send them home?” said Mr Ahern.

A serious clampdown on illegals after 9/11 means they cannot get driving licences or return to Ireland for holidays.

Brian, a plumber from Monaghan who attending a demonstration in Washington recently, spoke of his predicament.

He went to the US eight years ago when he was 22, got married and built up a successful plumbing business.

He has no documents and cannot get a driving licence or return to Ireland on holiday.

“We need the law to change so that we need not live in fear of deportation,” he said.