Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In November 2014, we welcomed the administrative measures announced by President Obama, which could have benefited thousands of undocumented Irish emigrants based in the United States. Unfortunately those measures now face a legal challenge in the US federal court. Can the Minister inform the House, from his contacts in the United States, if there is any prospect of progress in the area of immigration reform, be it through executive action by President Obama or through legislation in the US Congress? What is the most up-to-date estimated number of undocumented Irish emigrants in the United States from the figures available to his Department?

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