Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

Following the election there is undoubtedly a different landscape. A number of the members of both the Democrat Party and the Republican Party who are favourably disposed to immigration reform have been re-elected, some with sizeable majorities. A number of congressmen who were on the other side of the argument and promoted strict border controls suffered in the election. There is a feeling, given the different political landscape, that there will be a better opportunity for reform in the coming months. That is one of the reasons I travelled to the US, including New York recently. I hoped to assess the situation, particularly from Niall O'Dowd and Grant Lally of the ILIR and a number of their officers. I was also anxious to hear from other people who have been involved with this issue.

However, there are some members of the Democrat Party who would not necessarily favour immigration reform. There are a number of reasons for this, not least the issue of labour supply and trade union issues. These have a strong influence in the Democrat Party policy mix. If we can conduct a little preparation work between now and Christmas, which is, in effect, the lame duck session, I hope we will be able to renew the lobbying campaign with some vigour. We discussed how that could be promoted with the ILIR, as well as how that organisation envisages the next few months. I am hopeful there will be substantial progress in that respect in the first half of next year.

With regard to bilateral arrangements, we are examining all the options. However, our primary responsibility and priority is dealing with the undocumented issue once and for all and in a way that will be relatively easy for the people concerned. There are a number of other suggestions regarding bilateral arrangements which might not necessarily assist the undocumented and might make matters even more difficult for them. Our first priority, which is based on the advice we receive from people such as Senator Ted Kennedy and Senator John McCain, is a comprehensive reform package. We will continue to lobby for that.

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