Simon Carswell, Arthur
Beesley
Last Updated: Saturday,
March 15, 2014, 08:03
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has
issued a direct plea in Capitol Hill to the speaker of the US House of
Representatives to quickly forge a deal on immigration
reform.
Mr Kenny’s uncompromising
remarks to John
Boehner came as US President
Barack
Obama urged political leaders in
Northern Ireland to
return to talks to break the political deadlock over flags, parades and the
past.
“I was disappointed, the
US government was disappointed that
the all-party talks could not arrive at a final conclusion and agreement,” Mr
Obama said.
On a busy day of
political meetings in Washington to mark St Patrick’s Day, Mr Kenny
reiterated the message that undocumented Irish immigrants are treated badly
under decades-old legislation and wish only to play their full part in American
society.
The remarks stand as his
strongest intervention on US immigration law, one of the most
deeply divisive questions in US domestic
politics.
At the shamrock ceremony
in the East Room of the White
House last night, the Taoiseach
noted St Patrick himself was an immigrant when he came to Ireland. “We
know America will sort this out,” Mr Kenny
told the gathering.
He had pressed the
message earlier in private talks with Mr Obama and Vice President Joe Biden in
the White House and used the platform of a Capitol Hill lunch hosted by Mr
Boehner to say a renewed effort was urgently required. Mr Boehner, who is a
staunch opponent of Mr Obama’s political agenda, is a pivotal figure as his
control of Republican votes in Congress
can determine the fate of draft laws to overhaul immigration rules which have
already passed the Senate.
According to Mr Kenny’s
official spokesman, the Taoiseach departed from his prepared speech to tell the
lunch gathering that it was well past the time for
action.
“It is unfair. They want
to earn their money. They want to pay their taxes,” the spokesman reported he
said.
“They want to sing their
national anthem and when they sing they want to sing in the land of the home of
the free and the brave which they aren’t at the
moment.”
The Taoiseach said Mr
Obama wants Irish Ambassador to the US Anne
Anderson and other Irish
representatives to engage with all parties in the
debate.
“There are a number of
propositions before the legislature at the moment,” Mr Kenny told
reporters.
“The important thing, however, is that there would be a
process of legalisation for people who are here undocumented, that they could
pay their taxes, contribute to American society, raise their families, and have
the freedom to travel over and back,” said Mr
Kenny.
Comment:
Please pay particular attention to the last part of the
Taoiseach’s statement. He states very emphatically that the plight of our
undocumented Irish nationals currently living here in the U.S. should be
addressed first. There is no such mention of a so called “Irish E-3 temporary
work permit” for prospective emigrants
from Ireland. As we have said from the
start, the issue of permanent visas (not
temporary work permits) for those wishing to emigrate in future can be
addressed after the immediate problem is resolved.
Jack Meehan, National President
Emeritus
Ancient Order of Hibernians in America
Boston Irish Group – Board
Member
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