Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 November 2014
2. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position regarding the 50,000 undocumented Irish in the United States of America in view of recent political developments in the USA and the signing by President Obama of an executive order on immigration. [45230/14]
View answerI submitted this question before President Obama's announcement and we now have more detail on what the US Administration is proposing. I note that there is cross-party support for this development but it falls short of what we would have liked to see. Now that we have had time to mull over the decision, I ask the Minister to give his opinion on it. I note that the Minister has warned undocumented Irish people against trying to return home for Christmas.
The Deputy will be aware that this is and will remain a key priority for the Government in our bilateral relationship with the United States. Through our embassy in Washington, headed by our ambassador, Ms Anne Anderson, and our consulates throughout the United States we are working closely with many individuals and groups across Irish America and beyond towards achieving some relief for undocumented Irish migrants in the US and improved channels for legal migration between Ireland and America. During my visit to the US from 23 September to 1 October I had a wide range of meetings on this important issue with Irish community groups and high-level government contacts, including Vice President Joe Biden, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and the Secretary of State John Kerry.
The House will be aware that last Thursday President Obama announced new measures which should benefit thousands of undocumented Irish immigrants based in the US. Pending further possible measures being considered by the US Congress, the President’s measures are a step forward which will undoubtedly have a positive impact on immigrants’ lives. The Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers, CIIC, has welcomed President Obama's announcement as an important first step in allowing for much needed improvements to the immigration system. At the core of his proposals is that undocumented immigrants living in the US for more than five years who have children who are US citizens or legal residents, who register, go through background checks and pay their taxes will be protected from deportation and given temporary legal status.
I particularly welcome a provision which, for the first time, albeit under limited conditions, will permit some travel from and to the United States for those undocumented Irish who are eligible to apply under the arrangements President Obama has announced. Details as to how the travel provision will work in practice have yet to be confirmed but through our embassy in Washington, we are following up on it directly with the White House and the Department of Homeland Security.
I know that staff at our embassy and consular offices across the US are having meetings on this issue. A note of caution is needed here because this is not a pathway to citizenship and people are taking a huge risk in choosing to go down this path. That said, there is real potential here and that is the main message in regard to this development.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the various immigration centres in the US are advising all undocumented Irish not to attempt to come home just yet. I urge the Minister to reiterate the advice to migrants that they should speak to those working in the immigrant contact centres before making any attempt to travel. Is there a time-scale for the roll-out of this initiative?
People are anxious to hear more information on this issue. What is happening on the ground? I think I am right in saying that people should be cautious. I ask the Minister to provide any additional information or details he may have.
I do not wish to raise expectations on this issue. Undoubtedly, this is a step in the right direction and represents real and substantial progress. It is an acknowledgement of the hard work undertaken over a long number of years but particularly in recent times by the Ministers of State at my Department, Deputies Sean Sherlock and Jimmy Deenihan, who visited the US on numerous occasions, the Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Pat Breen and by Members from all sides of the House who, over many years, have expressed a deep-seated interest in dealing with what has been a traumatic experience for tens of thousands of undocumented Irish in the US who have been unable to come home. They have been unable to return to visit their families and loved ones in Ireland and have missed funerals and weddings and so forth. They have been divorced from their families in a way that has been traumatic and that has caused great hardship.
The announcement last week from President Obama represents progress, albeit with further important steps yet to be achieved. I am happy that progress is real and am determined that as many Irish nationals as possible will benefit from these changes. It is estimated that there are up to 50,000 undocumented Irish in the US and that tens of thousands of them will be in a position to benefit from the changes announced last week.
An expression that has often been used in the context of immigration reform is "coming out of the shadows". If people take that first step and go down the road of registering with the social security service, the difficulty is that once they come out of the shadows, they cannot go back in. The changes announced may affect up to 5 million illegal immigrants in the US but what about those who fall outside the criteria? I am thinking, for example, of those who cannot have children, like members of the LGBT community. Has the Minister been given any information regarding the fate of those people who will be left behind in this process?
We were all expecting and hoping for a lot more from President Obama's statement. I do not know what advice was given to the President but he faces a situation currently whereby both the US Congress and US Senate are packed with Republicans. Has the Minister heard any positive messages from the Republicans in the context of coming up with some sort of deal on immigration reform?
This is a very important first step. I was pleased to hear Mr. Billy Lawless, the Chicago-based campaigner who has worked for many years on the matter of the undocumented Irish, give the President's announcement a very forthright welcome. However, I agree with Deputy Crowe that while the President's initiative is very important and positive, it is no substitute for legislative action by Congress. This Government, our embassy staff and the various immigrant groups will continue to work with the US Administration and with our contacts in the Republican and Democratic parties. We will be maintaining close contact and continuing our engagement. We have strong friendships across both aisles in Congress and will keep building our network of friends on Capitol Hill. Through our embassy and consulates we will continue to encourage further steps that will reflect the concerns and needs of the undocumented Irish and their families, as well as ensuring improved channels for legal migration between Ireland and America.
