Illegal migrants in plea to be let stay in Ireland

A plea is being made for ministers travelling abroad this St Patrick’s Day not to forget the undocumented migrants in Ireland. For while politicians traditionally use the annual trips to plead the case of illegal Irish immigrants, particularly in the United States, it is estimated 26,000 immigrants in Ireland are also without papers and in fear of being deported.

The Migrant Rights Centre of Ireland will tomorrow hold a street party demonstration for undocumented migrants and their families as a way of bringing the issue out of the shadows.

The centre’s spokeswoman Aoife Murphy said undocumented migrants wanted to show that they were committed to Ireland and desperately wanted the chance to make this country their legal home.