Irish lobby gear up for visa battle in bid to make undocumented Irish legal in U.S.
ILIR set for major campaign to help more irish come to U.S. and legalize those here
As the Senate Judiciary Committee kicks off what is expected to be
a lengthy process of debating and amending the immigration bill on Thursday, the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR), the group dedicated
to creating a new legal pathway for the Irish in America, is gearing up for a
major battle.
They will hold a fundraiser on Thursday, May 23 to bolster its
lobbying efforts in Washington,
D.C.
“This is now probably the last opportunity the Irish
American community has to address the long
term issue of legal access to America
for Irish immigrants,” ILIR president Ciaran Staunton told the Irish Voice.
To make the push for comprehensive reform, ILIR has organized in
almost every state with Irish American communities, Staunton explains. “This is the last
opportunity for Irish America to pry open the golden door for those who want to
come here from Ireland,”
he adds.
Since the last big effort to achieve reform several years ago with
Senators Edward Kennedy and John McCain leading the effort, ILIR has stayed
working on Capitol Hill, Staunton
explains. A perception among some (or more accurately most) in the Irish
community that the lobby group had wound down many of its operations is
inaccurate said Staunton.
“In the last number of years we’ve built up relationships on both
sides of the aisle with very senior people in the House and Senate. The last
two major immigration initiatives in 1965 and 1986 in the United States
had huge effects on the Irish community and their effects are still being
felt,” he said.
“The 1965 Act locked us out,” Staunton explains. “We weren’t at the table
for the 1986 Act other than to get the Donnelly and the short term Morrison
visas. So when the hearing on the new bill commences in Washington ILIR will
retain consultants and lobbyists on both sides of the aisle, and we will also
follow up on all the support it has secured around the country.”
Behind the scenes the relationships ILIR has built with senators
and other leaders has continued.
“This is not the time for the previous big demonstrations we took
to Washington,”
Deirdre Foy, a volunteer ILIR activist explained about the large-scale rallies
ILIR organized during the Kennedy-McCain efforts.
“This is the time to quietly win over lawmakers to our side. Now
is the time to fundraise to support our continuing efforts.”
To that end the second annual Annie Moore Awards, named in honor
of the Irish girl who was the first passenger registered through the
immigration station at Ellis Island in 1892,
will be held to honor prominent Irish Americans for their ongoing efforts on
behalf of the Irish immigrant community.
This year ILIR has chosen to honor Brendan Murray, president of
the Newport Group, a leading financial services firm, with the Patrick J.
Donaghy Award, named after the retired chairman and founder of Structure Tone.
Comment:
One can only hope that every other group and individual in the
U.S. who has labored long and hard to resolve the plight of our undocumented
Irish nationals currently living in the U.S. and to secure a “fair and
equitable U.S. immigration policy for the Irish” will take note of the
recognition that Mr. Staunton has so generously bestowed on their efforts in
this self aggrandizing diatribe. He has long been a “poster boy” for the old
adage, “self praise is no recommendation” and it appears as though he still
subscribes to that theory. I can assure you that when immigration reform
finally becomes a reality, it will be the result of years of dedication and
hard work by many more concerned groups than ILIR and many more individuals
than Mr. Ciaran Staunton.
Jack Meehan, Past National President
Ancient Order of Hibernians in America
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