Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 May 2004
54 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties being experienced by thousands of undocumented Irish emigrants in the USA; if he will report on recent Government initiatives to regularise the status of these persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14614/04]
View answerDuring my visit to Washington on 2 March, I discussed the situation and status of Irish emigrants in the United States with a number of prominent US politicians.
I met with Senator Chuck Hagel who, together with Senator Tom Daschle, the Democratic Leader in the Senate, has recently initiated a Bill in Congress which would enable undocumented foreign nationals in the US to legalise their status if they fulfilled certain conditions. This initiative followed the announcement by President Bush of his proposal, Fair and Secure Immigration Reform, which also seeks to address the situation of undocumented foreign workers in the US. I welcomed the Daschle-Hagel initiative which I see as a constructive effort to deal with the situation of the undocumented in the US in a pragmatic and compassionate way. I had previously welcomed President Bush's initiative when it was announced in January.
I also met with Senator Edward Kennedy who was working on proposals for an immigration initiative. I understand that since our meeting he has introduced a new immigration reform Bill this month entitled the Safe, Orderly Legal Visas and Enforcement Act, the SOLVE Act. Under his proposals, immigrants who have been in the US for five or more years on the date of introduction, 4 May 2004, and can demonstrate two years in aggregate of employment, including self-employment, in the US and payment of taxes would be eligible for legalisation. The principal applicant's spouse and unmarried children under 21 years of age are also eligible. Applications will be adjudicated outside the current caps on visas. Current grounds of inadmissibility related to undocumented status would be waived.
Also, applicants would be able to travel and work with authorisation while their application is pending. The Bill would also extend the current system for reunification of immigrant families and aims to reduce processing backlogs.
The Bill would address the need for temporary workers in low-skilled positions and would include a path to permanent residency, wherein an employer could immediately petition for a worker upon initial employment or a worker could self-petition after two years of employment. The Department of Labour must approve, through a strengthened attestation process, that US workers are not available and that the employment of foreign workers will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of US workers.
I welcome this initiative which goes further than other recent immigration initiatives in providing opportunities for undocumented immigrants to regularise their status.
Each of these initiatives will have to follow the legislative paths within Congress. However, I was pleased to have this early opportunity to flag our concerns about the position of Irish emigrants in the US. I will continue to monitor the progress of these initiatives closely in the coming months.
