Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 May 2013
10. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if Ireland’s diplomatic staff in America are undertaking any new and specific initiatives to support immigration reform in America. [23235/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra17. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the discussions he has had with advocacy groups on behalf of the undocumented Irish in the United States in regard to proposed immigration reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23180/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra25. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the contacts that he has had with key players on Capitol Hill in the US following the publication of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23108/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra53. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the up-to-date position in relation to the possible extension of the E3 Visa Scheme with particular reference to the inclusion of Irish citizens; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23202/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra55. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the discussions he has had in relation to the US Senate's Immigration Bill and the proposals he has for further discussion at political and official level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23178/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra61. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the progress regarding the provision for an E3 visa for Irish citizens following the publication of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23109/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra66. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will outline the negotiations which he had recently had in the United States regarding the issue of the undocumented Irish; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23106/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 10, 17, 25, 53, 55, 61 and 66 together.
A resolution of the position of the undocumented Irish in the United States has been and remains a priority for the Government in ongoing contacts with the US Administration and Congress. The Government has also attached great importance to providing for future flows of migration between Ireland and the United States through the extension of the so-called E3 visa scheme to include Irish citizens. In this context, we very much welcome the publication last month of the US Senate’s Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Bill, which provides for reform of the US immigration system. The comprehensive draft legislation, which was drafted over several months by a bipartisan group of eight US Senators, includes provisions that would legalise the status of thousands of undocumented Irish people and provide a path to permanent residency. It also provides for future flows of legal migration between Ireland and the US.
The Bill is a very positive development. Its provisions, if adopted, would help end the great hardship and uncertainty faced by undocumented Irish in the United States and their families in Ireland. The inclusion of a new provision to allow several thousand Irish citizens to legally avail of employment opportunities in the US every year is also particularly welcome. Both of these issues were a key focus of the ongoing contacts undertaken by the Taoiseach and me with political leaders in the US, particularly during our visit to Washington DC for St. Patrick’s Day, when we discussed the prospects for progress with Ireland’s key friends on Capitol Hill and in the Administration. Since the publication of the Bill, the Government has maintained close contact with the key players through our embassy in Washington.
It is important to recall that the overall issues involved are complex and sensitive within the US political system and that much further debate is likely to be required before the final shape of any overall legislation becomes clear. Our embassy in Washington continues to closely follow developments and lobby as necessary, in keeping with the approach we have adopted over many years in our pursuit of a resolution of the position of undocumented Irish people in the United States. I reiterate my appreciation for the active support we continue to receive from a number of Irish community organisations, including the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, the Chicago Celts for Immigration Reform and the Ancient Order of Hibernians.
The issue is fluid and seems to be changing by the hour. It seems we are at a crucial time for the deal, with the consequences to be felt by a possible 50,000 undocumented Irish living in the US. Two Republican Senators have made a major effort to strip or gut 10,500 visas from the Irish allocation on Tuesday. There are other countries mentioned in the Bill as having special country status, including South Korea, Canada and Poland, and Australia has been granted 10,000 E3 visas every year since 2005. Is there any reason for the focus on the Irish in the Bill? If it is sensitive information, I do not really need to hear that response.
What can we do in the House to support this legislation? I may have asked the question before. The Minister mentioned there is ongoing lobbying, including this weekend, by the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform across Capitol Hill. What can we do to complement this, as practically every Deputy is supportive of these measures? Could we collectively put our heads together as a House to arrange a visit to the United States and actively lobby not just the usual suspects but also the unusual people who may not be seen as friends of Ireland or may not have a connection to this country? Perhaps they could be swayed by our collective argument.
As we have mentioned previously, this is an extremely important issue because many families in this country want to be able to see family members return from the US. Many undocumented Irish are in a difficult position because they do not have papers. I urge the Tánaiste, his Department and the embassy in the US to continue to lobby at every political and official level to ensure this piece of Senate legislation can get through Congress as soon as possible. The officials at the foreign affairs committee were reasonably confident of progress being made in the relatively near future and we should hope that can be achieved. This is of utmost importance to so many Irish people living in the United States and their families in Ireland.
This is an important piece of legislation. It will deal with the immensely difficult set of circumstances facing approximately 50,000 undocumented Irish in the US over a long time. The Bill will introduce a three-stage process for these people. Those who were in the US before 31 December 2011 and have remained since will become registered provisional immigrant, RPIs, which will allow them to work and travel in and out of the United States. That takes in a ten-year period, with a further adjustment after that to lawful permanent residence - the green card - and after a further three years, they may apply for citizenship if they wish to. It is a clear pathway. Under the Bill, there will be E3 visas available for new Irish immigrants to the US, who can work for up to two years.
It is not the case that the Irish interest in this has been targeted in some way, but immigration is a controversial issue in the US, and 300 amendments to the Bill have been tabled. I met people on Capitol Hill when I was there over the St. Patrick's Day period who told me it is not a question of what happens on Capitol Hill, in the Senate or in the House of Representatives but what happens on chat shows and radio talk shows when it becomes a wider political issue. The Deputy asked what could be done to help. We are very much on top of the matter. I am in regular contact with key people promoting the legislation and the Taoiseach and I spoke with leaders in the US when we were there. The embassy in Washington is also very much on top of this.
I know Members of this House on all sides have contacts of one kind or another with different political parties in the United States, and now is the time to use that in a positive way. We should use those links to promote what we want to achieve. In doing so, we must be sensitive to the political reality that immigration in the United States is a sensitive political issue, as it is here or anywhere else in Europe. We must be aware of that sensitivity in promoting our case because this is the first big break in the issue. We have always stated that comprehensive immigration reform was the way to resolve the problem of the undocumented Irish and there is now a Bill that I am anxious to see pass. This involves real politics and members of the House of Representatives and the Senate are subject to lobbying of various kinds as well as public comment. We are lobbying our case and we should use any contacts we have to further it.
