Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

This motion is obscure but, nevertheless, very worthy. I congratulate and thank Deputy Michael Ring on tabling it. I also thank the Government for agreeing to it and ensuring it has cross-party support because we are talking about approximately 50,000 — it is said that is a conservative enough figure — of our citizens who are undocumented and living in America. When one considers there are approximately 11 million undocumented people living in America, one realises the scale of the problem. That figure should also indicate it is problem for which a solution must be found.

The term "undocumented" is probably a far more acceptable one than the one we use, namely, "illegal immigrant". We will have to deal with the issue of illegal immigrants as well. We cannot very well say our citizens in America, who happen to be undocumented, must be dealt with in a particular way but not go any way towards dealing with undocumented people in Ireland.

The term "illegal" pollutes the debate because it is very difficult to deal with someone who is illegal. If someone is legal but undocumented, it is much easier to give him or her documentation and find a solution to the problem than it is to make someone legal. We will have to come to terms with the type of language we use and how we treat people who come to this country if we are to expect other countries to deal with people in a certain way.

It is vital that the message which goes out from this House is a united one. That message is that we have citizens living and working in America who have families, drive, pay their taxes and contribute in all sorts of ways to society. If something untoward should befall them, they would find themselves in circumstances in which they are completely exposed.

The driver licence crisis in New York is but one of the issues thrown up by this notion of being undocumented in a foreign country. Some 152,000 people are about to lose their licences in New York. The new governor has put forward a solution which would benefit people who are there legally, who have driver licences and who are insured. Surely it would also benefit them to know that other people on the road are licensed and insured. However, even those people have put up huge resistance to people who are undocumented getting driver licences. It shows the solution will not be as easy as we think but one must be found.

That solution must be found nationally, state-wide and federally because, in some cases, people have been living in America for 20 to 30 years. They have families, are married, own homes, drive cars and pay taxes. Are we or are Americans to say to them they cannot stay there any longer and must leave?

What happens when a family member at home becomes ill or dies? What is the solution then? People cannot come home for fear of not being able to return to their families. We must be strong about this but not hypocritical. We cannot speak out of the two sides of our mouth.

In regard to the driver licence issue in New York, a gentleman told me his son is illegal in America and has a European driver licence which does not need a photograph but which will expire. Surely a sensible solution to the driver licence issue is for consulates in America, whether Irish, English, French or whatever, to be able to renew their citizens' driver licences. That would be a solution which would get over a very serious issue. It would not legalise someone or give him or her any additional rights or the right of residence etc. However, it would enable them to drive safely and to be insured. Surely this is the solution and is something we could do for this young man.

It beggars belief that 152,000 people in New York would have no driver licence and, therefore, would not be insured even though they need to drive for work or for business. We have the solution to that problem in our hands.

I congratulate Deputy Michael Ring and the Government on taking the motion on board. With combined effort, we must find a solution to this problem. It is not beyond our wit. We should encourage the US Congress to find a solution. It will not be easy and no one is saying it will be. However, we should give them whatever encouragement we can. We should tell them that from now on we will be eternally grateful to them for assisting people who have put down roots in America and who wish to stay there because they like the lifestyle, have probably married American citizens, have children who feel American and go to school there and who use the transport system. A solution must be found and it should not be beyond our wit to do so.

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