asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Taoiseach availed of the opportunity of his recent visit to the United States to lend his support to the efforts of the United American Irish Emigration Committee to seek amendments in immigration legislation at present before the US Senate; and if he made any attempt to influence the Reagan administration on the urgent need to grant US working visas to young people in the United States.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - US Immigrant Legislation.
12.
The Taoiseach's visit referred to in the question related to the 40th anniversary of the United Nations. He did not use the visit to the United Nations to raise with the United States authorities the question of US immigration rules.
As I made clear in my reply in the Dáil on 5 November, there are no national quotas for visas under US immigration rules, nor any proposals to introduce national quotas. I also indicated that our Embassy at Washington had, on my instructions, been monitoring the situation carefully and will continue to do so. If at any time it appears that an approach to the United States authorities might help achieve some concrete benefit for Irish citizens, I will see that such an approach is made.
From the monitoring that is going on in the Irish Embassy in Washington can the Minister give any figures with regard to the number of Irish immigrants at present illegally in the US?
No. Nobody knows. It is pure guess work. I have heard guesses ranging from 20,000 to 100,000.
In view of the vulnerable position in the US of Irish citizens without valid visas would the Minister indicate whether he has asked that they be given an amnesty and provided with visas and if not if he would agree to do so?
As the Deputies probably know, there is a Bill before the Houses of Congress in the US about immigration. Like virtually all Bills which have been promoted there in the last number of years it contains a clause about amnesty. The chance of this becoming law is slim. Many other Bills which came before Congress, either at the stage in the House of Representatives or the Senate, did not pass into law. Without being categoric about it the assumption is that this will not become law, but it does contain a provision about amnesty.
The Minister is not hopeful about this. What, if anything, can be done to regularise the position of Irish citizens in the US without valid visas in view of the serious situation in which they find themselves vis-à-vis the law and working conditions?
I am very conscious of the points being made by the Deputy. Neither I nor anybody else knows how many Irish people are in that situation. The Deputies should understand that one cannot regularise a situation for Irish immigrants only. As far as the US authorities are concerned they would have to consider all nationalities. Even if the top figure suggested for Irish immigrants is correct other countries nearer the United States could give figures ten, 20 or even 100 times as large. The US must behave in an even-handed fashion to all immigrants, so there would be an enormous amount of regularisation for all nationalities. That might be difficult. I am not sure what can be done if this Bill fails. Some of the immigrants have been there for many years and some have been more recent. I would not attempt to tell the American administration what they should do but I hope the administration rather than a private member of either of the Houses will bring in a Bill which will find cross-party support. It is not a matter for a legislator of this country but I hope that is what will happen in the relatively near future.