asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he expects to see any change in the position of illegal Irish immigrants in the United States as a result of his recent visit; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Illegal Irish Immigrants in the US.
9.
The Government are deeply concerned at the situation faced by Irish citizens, most of them young, who have travelled to the United States in recent years and remained there illegally. Our concern to improve their position was set out clearly in our election manifesto and was one of the main issues which the Taoiseach and myself discussed with Congressional leaders, Irish-American politicians, and the United States Administration during our recent visit.
I am satisfied that as a result of these discussions members of the United States Congress and the United States Administration have a greater appreciation of the scope of the problem; the difficulties faced by our illegal immigrants; and the need for measures to help regularise their position.
The Deputy will be aware that certain immigration measures were adopted by the United States Congress last year which resulted in direct benefits to our citizens, notably the allocation of by far the largest portion of the new non-preference visas to Irish applicants. This will give some assistance, but more needs to be done.
In this connection the Taoiseach and myself discussed a number of proposals to facilitate the demand by Irish citizens who wish to enter the United States and to improve the conditions of those already there illegally.
The Government intend as a matter of urgency to follow up these contacts and we are hopeful that the ideas we discussed will be developed and taken up by Congress to provide permanent benefit to those Irish who wish to live and work legally in the United States.
When does the Minister expect to have any concrete results from these talks, either in terms of the numbers of visas issued or of doing something for those remaining illegally in the United States?
We appreciate the urgency and the importance of these matters and we will try to get results as speedily as possible. We have very useful contacts in the United States Administration and Congress who are anxious to help.
The Minister intimated that he put special proposals to the American representatives he met, but can he tell us the nature of those special proposals? Does he know the number of Irish citizens who are illegally in the United States at the moment?
The special proposals are a matter for discussion and we will be pushing them as hard as we can. The number of 60,000 given by the previous Government, in my view, does not show the full picture which is much more serious.
I know they are early days yet as regards any position which has arisen between the Irish Government and the United States Administration, but would the Minister tell the House whether the measures he proposes to pursue on behalf of this Government with the United States authorities would be specifically exclusive to Irish illegal immigrants in the United States or whether the measures would be applicable to all illegal immigrants in the United States?
That of course, as the Deputy will appreciate, is one of the problems that will have to emerge in the negotiations——
Exactly.
——and the Deputy is well aware of that.
Following that, a Ceann Comhairle, with your permission——
A brief question.
——may I ask the Minister is it not a fact that any reply which he received from the authorities on Capitol Hill was that no such nationalistic or racial discrimination in terms of legislative amnesty could be extended to one group of people as against another in relation to illegal immigrants in the United States?
I would prefer not to go into that area. We will seek to get the best arrangement we can having regard to all the difficulties that exist, of which the Deputy is aware.
Can the Minister indicate what advice is available from his Department to people who are obtaining passports and visas and emigrating to the United States? Presumably, many of them are going on holiday visas or on visas of one kind or another. What efforts are being made by his Department or the embassy to make it known to young Irish people who are going to the United States of what they face if they intend to remain there illegally? Could he also indicate what assistance is available to Irish people in the United States who find themselves in trouble there, whose visas have run out and presumably are, therefore, illegal? What steps are being taken by the Irish Embassy there to assist those people?
These are all separate matters that flow from the unfortunate position that has arisen. The first thing is to rectify the position that has arisen, where there is a very large number of Irish immigrants living there illegally. They have gone out there under various guises, their number in my view is far in excess of 60,000 and it is a matter we want to see rectified and remedied. It is very hard to follow it up in the manner suggested by Deputy De Rossa unless their position is regularised and future entry is regularised also.
On the contrary, surely this and previous Governments have a responsibility to Irish people living in the United States? They are still Irish citizens. Even though they may be there illegally, surely our embassy should have some procedure or facility for helping those who find themselves illegal immigrants in the United States? Can the Minister indicate the assistance, if any, which is available from the Irish Embassy in the United States to Irish people who find themselves in that position? Specifically, what assistance is available?
Again, I want to emphasise to the Deputy that this is precisely what we are doing. We are seeking to put them from a position where——
There is no assistance.
——they have no rights under United States law to a position where they will have legal status and be entitled to rights.
There is no assistance.
How does the Minister propose to help people in the United States if he does not even know the number who are there? Is it not dangerous for the Minister to make a statement that in his opinion the number is in excess of 60,000 when he has no facts on which to base this figure? How does he propose to negotiate with the American Government as to how these people will remain in the United States if he does not know how many are there? Has he any proposals to find out exactly how many are there?
In my view the previous Government tended to minimise the enormity and seriousness of this problem.
Rubbish. May I ask a supplementary question for clarification?
I allowed quite a lot of latitude on Question No. 9.
Did the Minister say that he had managed to arrange the bulk of what are known as Donnelly visas to be issued to Irish citizens? Is that correct?
Three thousand one hundred visas out of approximately 10,000 visas for northern European countries went to Ireland.
You were able to arrange that?
I did not say I arranged it.
The Minister is playing politics.
The Deputy is either getting very hard of hearing or he is deliberately playing politics. Last Saturday's events must be slightly perturbing him.
The Minister stated in his reply that he had put new proposals to the United States' representatives he had met on this issue. Can he tell us what new proposals he put to them during his recent visit?
I do not propose at this stage, at a very early part of what will be very detailed negotiations and discussions which we will carry on with people who are very well disposed and friendly, to pre-empt the situation in any way. We will certainly do our best and push this matter to the fullest extent. It is a matter which has been largely ignored up to now.
Did you put proposals to them?
I am calling the next question, Question No. 10.