Minister of State and Clare T.D., Mr. Tony Killeen this week met with a senior US Congressman regarding the plight of the undocumented Irish in America.Minister Killeen met with Massachusetts Democrat and Irish American Richard E. Neal (LEFT)while representing the Irish Government at a US Government Conference in Washington D.C. Commenting on the background to the meeting, Minister Killeen said, “In many respects, the plight of the undocumented Irish has been placed on the back burner due to this year’s US Presidential election. The defeat of the Immigration Bill last year also dealt a huge blow to the prospects of citizenship for undocumented Irish in the US. It is important, therefore, that public representatives in Ireland take every opportunity to remind American politicians of the ongoing hardships faced by Irish citizens in the USA.”
Minister Killeen continued, “In my meeting with Congressman Neal, I expressed my deep concern about the plight of the undocumented Irish, including many young people originally from County Clare currently living, working and paying their way in the United States. I asked him that his Democratic party support the campaign to legitimatise resident arrangements for, and create legal status for, the undocumented.”
The Minister said that the Irish Government had actively engaged with its US counterpart to regularise the status of the undocumented Irish. He added that the Taoiseach’s many meetings with US President George W Bush along with his upcoming St Patrick’s Day engagement with the US leader would help to keep the issue at the forefront of Irish-American agenda.
Minister Killeen commented, “There are an estimated 11 million undocumented workers in the United States, amongst them between 25 and 35,000 Irish. We must continue to lobby the US political spectrum so as to ensure Irish immigrants do not get left behind in any deal on the US legislation, whether that is before or after November’s Presidential election.
While in Washington D.C., Minister Killeen also met with Michael Collins, the Irish Ambassador to the United States.
Congressman Richard E. Neal serves as the Chairman of the Friends of Ireland and has been recognized repeatedly by Irish America Magazine as one of the Top 100 Irish Americans. He has been honoured by the Holyoke, Massachusetts Saint Patrick's Day Committee with both the John F. Kennedy Award and the Ambassador's Award, the Committee's two highest honours. In 2002, Congressman Neal received the International Leadership Award by the American Ireland Fund for his work over two decades to bring peace and reconciliation to the island of Ireland.
