Taoiseach: US citizenship moves cannot just apply to Irish people

Meanwhile, the Taoiseach has been forced to cancel some of his events in the United States, due to winter storms and threats of up to two feet of snow.

Any future pathway to securing citizenship for the thousands of undocumented Irish living in the United States should also be offered to other illegal immigrants, Enda Kenny has urged.

The Taoiseach acknowledged the administration in Washington should not pick and choose in regard to which nationalities living in the US without permission could secure clarity around their status.

His comments came after meeting Boston mayor Marty Walsh. The gaelic-speaking Irish American mayor said he was very proud of his heritage but rejected any suggestion that the Irish undocumented could be treated as a "special case".

Mr Kenny will lobby on behalf of the 50,000 undocumented Irish when he meets President Trump in Washington on Thursday.

The Taoiseach, who is on his annual St Patrick's trip to the US, said he would like to see any potential accommodation extended to other immigrants.

"Clearly we have some concerns and anxieties about those who are undocumented here and we want to work with the administration in a way to deal with that, not just in the case of Ireland but also in the case of some of the others.

"Because It's not a case of picking and choosing. While we might like to think we can sort out our own problem of 50,000 undocumented, there are 11 million people in the United states who have not the required paperwork and documentation."

With such worldwide focus on Mr Trump's controversial immigration policies, Mr Kenny's efforts to raise the undocumented Irish will draw intense scrutiny.

As part of his crackdown, the president has taken steps against "sanctuary cities" in the US, where local authorities refuse to implement federal immigration policies. Boston is one such city.

Mr Walsh has been highly critical of the new administration's stance on immigration.

"Hopefully the Taoiseach will be able to help a little bit here and be able to say and have a conversation with the president and the administration and the leadership of the Republican party about how do we come up with a solution, rather than accusing folks of being illegal or being criminal," he said.

"I can't stand here today and say I feel comfortable with where we are as a country. Hopefully at some point we will be able to move to that point, but not today."

In regard to special status for the Irish undocumented, the mayor said: "I am a proud son of Irish immigrants but I would not be supportive of rules and regulations that just benefit people that are undocumented Irish.

"We need a comprehensive piece of legislation - we need some clarity for all immigrants, all undocumented immigrants."

He said Boston was a very "multicultural" city.

"I couldn't support something that just benefited one country," he added.

Meanwhile, the Taoiseach has been forced to cancel some of his stops in his visit to the United States, because of serious weather.

Kenny is due to visit nearby Rhode Island tomorrow before departing for Washington.

But transport in the area has been massively hit by severe winter storms, with up to two feet of snowfall forecast for some parts of the north-east of the country.

Thousands of flights have already been cancelled and Mr Kenny's delegation is now considering cutting back on some events, in order to ensure he makes it to Washington before his first events on Wednesday.