Posted on 02/02/2017 4:24:14 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Donegal TD Joe McHugh has vowed to fight for Irish citizens living illegally in the United States - and has called for them to be given the right to live and work there.
The Minister was speaking in the Seanad today (Thursday) on an issue raised by Senator Billy Lawless on the Long Wave RTE service to Britain.
Minister McHugh says the Government supports the retention of the radio service which delivers programmes to Irish people living in Britain.
The Donegal politician also made a number of comments on the Irish in America, saying afterwards that the issue was ‘personal’ because he knows of so many Donegal people who undocumented in the United States.
“As Minister for the Diaspora this has been a key issue for me. Within days of the election of Donald Trump I met emigrant representation groups in Boston and New York,” said McHugh.
“This is personal because I know so many families who have a loved one who is working in the United States, paying their taxes, raising their families and contributing in such a positive way to the communities where they live in America.
“Last November I met some of these people and vowed to continue to work on their behalf and I will meet groups again when I return to America in March. It is my number one priority as Minister; but I remain confident despite the events of the past few days that we can engage at all levels of the American administration.”
The Minister told Senator Lawless that the Government as a “duty of care” to Irish emigrants in Britain after Brexit and in America under the new Presidency.
“We want to grow and nurture our relationships with Britain and the USA and protect it going into the future so that it lasts,” said McHugh.
The Donegal TD went on: “Achieving relief for undocumented Irish migrants in the US and agreement on a facility for future migration between Ireland and the US are longstanding Government objectives. We continue to be committed to these objectives notwithstanding the immigration policy agenda of the new Administration.
Opportunity
“The Government has also availed of every opportunity to sensitise the incoming Administration to our concerns and interests regarding immigration reform, and the plight of the undocumented Irish in particular. The Taoiseach raised the matter in his separate telephone conversations with President Trump and Vice-President Pence in the days following the Presidential election and my colleague the Minister for Foreign Affairs has done likewise during his visit to Washington DC this week.
“We will continue to work closely with members of the US Congress - in both the House of Representatives and the US Senate, and on both sides of the aisle – to advance progress on this matter. We are fortunate to be able to draw on the assistance of the Friends of Ireland in Congress and the many representatives of Irish-America, who appreciate our concerns.”
The Minister said he is very conscious that this is a time of worry and uncertainty for our undocumented Donegal citizens in the United States.
“Our Embassy in Washington and our Consulates throughout the US are working with Irish community groups in relation to their concerns. On 12 January, the Embassy convened a meeting of senior immigration stakeholders in order to hear directly from those who work most-closely with the undocumented Irish,” he said.
“The Government will continue to support organisations that deliver frontline advisory services and community care to Irish emigrants through the Emigrant Support Programme. In the last funding round for the Programme, organisations in the U.S were allocated more than €2.3 million in funding.
“I can assure the House that the Government, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and our Embassy in Washington continue to work closely with Irish-American community leaders in actively pursuing all viable opportunities to advance immigration reform. We will encourage and promote any realistic possibilities for a solution that may arise.”
Executive Order
He continued: “While US immigration policy is a matter for the US authorities, it is clear that the Executive Order signed by President Trump on 27 January could have far-reaching implications, both on humanitarian grounds and on relations between the US and the global Muslim community.
“The Government shares the concerns expressed by other EU partners regarding this development.
“I note the clarification issued by the Embassy of the United States in Dublin on 31 January, 2017, to the effect that the Executive Order in question does not restrict the travel of dual nationals to the United States, so long as they hold the passport of an unrestricted country and possess a valid U.S. visa, if required.
“Therefore, Irish citizens travelling to the United States on Irish passports should encounter no difficulties in this regard, as long as they have followed the relevant procedures governing the US Visa Waiver Programme.
“My colleague the Minister for Foreign Affairs is in Washington DC this week and has had a number of meetings with Congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle. He expressed our concern about the impact, both actual and potential, of the recent Executive Order. He also welcomed the clarification provided as to the freedom of Irish citizens to travel to the United States on Irish passports, as provided by the Visa Waiver Programme.”
If they are illegal, send ‘em back.
Kick their asses out.
Deport the Irish illegal aliens first. Proves we are not racist.
They make them sound sooooo wonderful!
They didn’t respect the nation enough to obtain citizenship the right way, then I don’t care how much in taxes they pay!
Screw you....you don’t decide my neighbors . . . Take them in yourself, Tuff Guy
I don’t care where an illegal alien is from, they should all be deported.
The length of time they have been breaking our laws is irrelevant also and should not be any reason to accommodate them.
Wow, talk about “bringing them out of the shadows”. Elect a president with the cajones to enforce the immigration laws and the illegals start coming out of the woodwork like cockroaches.
Ireland doesn’t want them back.
If there are lots of Irish illegals in the US, something tells me they are of the terrorist persuasion. Democrats love bringing in a melting pot of terrorists. They find them useful.
They’re not, Vet. Believe me, I’ve known them in NYC for 30 years. They loathe America and only want what they can get out of us. I prefer Mexican hard-workers over them.
It wouldn’t surprise me to find out some of the Irish illegals were linked to terrorists. The Kennedy run mob always seemed to cover for those terrorists.
I used to know some Irish electricians who came over through some reciprocal agreement with the electricians union. Canadians used to be able to go back and forth too.
I see a big difference between Anglosphere immigrants and people from outside the Anglosphere. In the current climate, that may not be politically defensible, and I wouldn’t want to do anything to complicate things. But Brits, Aussies, Canucks, and Irish should have preference once this all unwinds... and we should make sure the agreements are a two-way street.
Too damned had.
Illegal is illegal. Deport them.
At our last location the only people who’d help us were our neighbors from Yucatan. Mowed the lawn for a small fee and did odd jobs for us. We bought our little Schnauzer from them. Brought over food when they did a cookout.
Slán abhaile. Back home they should go.
We accept legal immigrants. We reject illegal aliens. That is following the law, and we expect everyone to do the same. If you are here illegally, go home and get in line.
They’re always after me SNAP cards
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