Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion. I have taken a very active interest in the plight of the undocumented Irish in the US since the mid-1980s. In 1987 I paid a private visit to New York to meet Irish emigration groups there. I paid a further visit in 1989 with the former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Peter Barry, to New York and Washington where we met people such as Congressman Donnelly and Senator Edward Kennedy. I have paid numerous visits to the USA since then, mostly to do industrial promotion for my constituency and to attend fund-raising events for local projects. However, I have rarely visited the USA without meeting an undocumented Irish person, whether in New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, San Jose and other cities.

The undocumented Irish are scattered right across the 48 states of the USA. The US has an undocumented population of between 18 million and 20 million — a population that lives and works mostly underground for fear of detection and subsequent deportation. Until there is some form of immigration reform which legitimises the undocumented population, America will never know who these 18 million to 20 million people are as they will not come forward to be counted. It is difficult to estimate the undocumented Irish population for the same reason. Based on the evidence provided by the Irish services agencies across the US, we can only estimate that there are 50,000 undocumented Irish living there. The figure may be lower but it may be a great deal higher.

Since 11 September 2001, the US has become more security conscious. The introduction of legislation such as the Patriot Act and the Real ID Act to make its borders secure has made life very difficult for the undocumented in that country. For example, the Real ID Act prohibits federal agencies from accepting, for any official purposes, state-issued identification cards or driver licences that do not meet numerous minimum documented requirements, including verification of immigration status.

We all agree the US needs to protect and secure itself against future terrorism threats. However, immigration legislation needs to be differentiated from the security debate as they are two distinct issues.

The US immigration system is broken; this is an indisputable fact. It does not work for employers, employees and families. The Kennedy-McCain proposal is an important step towards creating a more equitable immigration regime in the US. This initiative, in tandem with the current restructuring efforts within the US citizen and immigration services, can provide a US immigration system that keeps the US safe and secure while at the same time treats its immigrants fairly.

Apart from the Kennedy-McCain proposal, there are further proposals such as the Sheila Jackson Lee proposal and the Kyl-Cornyn proposal mentioned by the Minister. However, they do not go as far as the Kennedy-McCain proposal which is far more suitable from an Irish point of view. That is why all sides of the House support that proposal.

A recent nationwide survey in America showed that American voters support a system that combines toughness with fairness, provides a path to citizenship with reasonable requirements, implements an effective guest worker programme and reunites families. Voters want a system that rewards immigrants who come to work hard and pay taxes. That is the clear message from American voters. Our clear message to our friends on Capitol Hill is that we want a fair system to look after the undocumented Irish in America. I am glad the House has spoken with one voice — a rare occasion — in calling for this initiative to be put in place immediately.

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