Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Tánaiste for the way he has outlined his position on the progress that has been made and I will provide the Tánaiste with the details of the case I raised. The consular staff in Boston are involved in this case and familiar with it.

It does not take from the fact that here is a family - I understand there are a number of others - who would have expected to benefit from this legislation and who find themselves in a precarious position. The husband is detained in prison, there is no clear sign of when he will be released, whether he will be returned to Ireland or how quickly that might take place.

It will need guidance from those who are supporting and driving this legislation on Capitol Hill that they would start to filter information down to ICE and others that this is on the way. I accept that until such time as the legislation has passed, it will not be possible to find a workaround for it, but I ask if interim arrangements could be considered for those who are under investigation for being undocumented or who find themselves in a state or federal prison. Assistance could be provided to them so that they would be allowed to remain and that they would be released on licence.

It is not for me to comment on how other countries seek to deal with immigration. We have our own issues here and have been slow and perhaps tardy as a country in dealing with them, but it is unnecessary to have this individual in jail. His wife and family are in the country, so he is not going anywhere. I would hope that there could be some softening and a recognition that at long last we hope the end is in sight in a way that would see this undocumented issue sorted out once and for all, and in so doing, that the small number who are on the fringes at present do not find themselves outside the loop.

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