Posted on 03/28/2006 7:01:42 AM PST by MineralMan
AN Oireachtas delegation is on a week-long US visit in a last-ditch lobbying bid for illegal Irish immigrants.
The US Senate will today begin its debate on the first comprehensive rewrite of the country’s immigration laws in a decade.
Hundreds of thousands of immigrants staged weekend protests on immigration reform in Los Angeles, Denver and several other cities. A delegation from the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee is today visiting Washington to lobby support for the Kennedy/McCain legislation which would allow illegals to stay in the US and work while applying for a green card and eventual citizenship.
Up to 50,000 Irish people are among the estimated 12 million undocumented people in the US.
Labour’s foreign affairs spokesman and delegation member, Michael D Higgins, said: “The Irish affected are forced to live in the shadows. This means that they run considerable risks of a health, social and economic kind.
“They are not free to return home for family events, births, deaths or funerals, and recent legislation has created new difficulties associated with even possessing a driving licence. The current atmosphere in the United States is such that the Kennedy/McCain legislation will face real difficulties. The delegation is hoping to have a number of meetings which would be helpful in this regard.”
The delegation will meet the newly-formed Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform which has been holding well-attended public meetings in major US cities.
The TDs and Senators will also hold talks organisations providing legal advice and welfare
They need to get the hell out too.
"They need to get the hell out too."
I don't disagree with you. I've been trying to find some stats on illegals by country of origin, but the most recent figures I've found date back to 1996.
No doubt, Mexico is the largest group, but we have illegals from all over the world. The ones from European countries are a lot harder to spot, though, I'd guess.
Absolutely. Illegal is not legal and they all need to be shipped out and return through the legal open door.
Illegals gotta go and Spanish isn't the determining factor, though some try to make it about race.
Maybe, just maybe, someday people will admit this is about Legal and Illegal rather than about race ethnicity or anything else. When that finally happens then we can actually move this debate to some constructive and positive outcome.
If that never happens then I see a kind of civil war affot.
"Maybe, just maybe, someday people will admit this is about Legal and Illegal rather than about race ethnicity or anything else."
Exactly, and that's a point some people have been trying to make in the immigration threads. You cannot tell who is legal and who is illegal by looking at them or by their accent or their native language.
This is not an ethnic issue at all. It is an issue of legal vs. illegal immigration, whatever the country of origin.
That was my entire point for posting this.
In Minnesota, maybe.
They can go home too.
This is something I can comment on. My wife is originally from Co. Kilkenny, Ireland. Came over in 71. Did all that was asked of her by the U.S. and eventually got citizenship. She is now a real,true Irish-Texan, with the emphasis on Texan. Oh,and she is a proud American.
The illegals piss on the law. If you're not going to follow the laws on immigration, I would assume you're not going to follow other laws as well.
My wife and I have Russian woman living with us who arrived last fall. She had to wait in line and her full citizenship is still at least 5 years away.
She's never complained about the wait. She sees it as part of the process. The best thing is the fact that she wants to be an American and support her adopted nation.
Oooh, kinky.
Have you ever come across any stats on Chinese illegals?
Here's a little something, if you haven't seen it before....
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/847364/posts
Irish illegals are almost purely a Boston phenomenon. I know, I research demographics. But it did strike me funny to have native-English-speaking cabbies in a major city!
Meanwhile, they are protesting by drinking copious amounts of alcohol, wearing skirts, and getting into soccer brawls.
Only kidding. But it makes as much sense as Mexicans trying to convince Republicans to vote for amnesty by not working, carrying Mexican flags, and chanting leftist slogans.
(Please, we all know those are just silly stereotypes.. well, except for drinking copious amounts of alcohol in Boston... After all, I'm half French, and I love America and bathe regularly! Then again, I also like watching fires, amd eating softy, runny smelly cheese... The bathing and loving America must come from the British side... I also have an appetite for tea, warm beer, and, sadly, bad teeth.)
(and how could I forget loving chocolate, wine, and French women... although the fondness for French women definitely comes from the British side! All my uncles -- and my Dad -- married French women. I keep seeming to date Irish women, though. (My British side is Celtic and Catholic) Due to bad histories with Irish women, I've even gone out with women with obviously Hispanic, French, Polish and German surnames... only to find out they're still 3/4ths Irish!)
Shouldn't that be "Erin go home"?? I don't care if they speak Spanish, Gaelic, or Klingon---if they are here illegally--THEY SHOULD BE DEPORTED!
Breaking the law entails risks.
“They are not free to return home for family events, births, deaths or funerals, and recent legislation has created new difficulties associated with even possessing a driving licence. The current atmosphere in the United States is such that the Kennedy/McCain legislation will face real difficulties. The delegation is hoping to have a number of meetings which would be helpful in this regard.”
Well then I suggest that Ireland not only graciously ask their 50,000 citizens to return home*, they should also extend the invite to all others in the U.S. illegally.
* Exemption for those Irish gals who are as pretty as the Corr sisters.
From Mel Brooks movie Blazing Saddles
"All right, we'll give some land to the niggers and the chinks, but we DON'T WANT THE IRISH."
If ya check my homepage about 3/4 way down I have been arguing this issue since I posted about it.
It's a criminal issue not a issue of race......the diversional keep the hate alive asshats are the ones who make this a issue of racism.
I am not into discrimination at all as ya well know. I can come up with 500 reasons not to like somebody before I get to their sex, age, religion or race and shoot em.......:o)
Just my opinion of course....... BTW you keep right on importing those beautiful little dark red haired lassies from County Kilkenny.....(woof woof) !!
But if you bring in one with that rescue / traffic cone orange bozo the clown red hair I'll turn you in for importin ugly sir !
Stay safe Friend......:o)
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