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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 2 Dec 1999

Vol. 512 No. 2

Written Answers. - Illegal Emigrants.

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

66 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the latest information available to his Department regarding the number of Irish citizens illegally in the United States by virtue of having entered without the appropriate documentation or who are working in the United States without the appropriate permits; the representations, if any, he has made to the United States authorities regarding the status of these people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25495/99]

No reliable figures are available regarding the numbers of Irish who may be living and or working in the United States without proper authorisation. Very rough estimates based on CSO calculations suggest that 3,000 to 4,000 of the Irish people who went to the US in each of the years 1994-95 and 1996-97 remained there illegally. However, the numbers of undocumented Irish people have fallen dramatically since the late 1980s and early 1990s because of the Morrison and Donnelly visa programmes which effectively solved the problem of the undocumented Irish in the US at that time.

While anecdotal evidence from the voluntary Irish organisations suggests a small flow of new undocumented arrivals, similarly there are indications that more people, both legal and undocumented, are returning to Ireland as a result of the economic success that the country is experiencing. CSO migration estimates confirm that, for each of the three years to April 1999, the numbers of immigrants from the US were greater than the numbers of emigrants to the US.

The embassy in Washington remains in close contact with the immigration authorities and with members of congress in the United States and keeps them informed of matters relating to the welfare of undocumented Irish people there.

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