Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Like the rest of us, the Tánaiste has some awareness of the anxiety of the 50,000 undocumented Irish, many of whom are calling our offices to see what can be and what is to be done to address their precarious situation. We need to have a strategy and a discussion about it. We can do something. Migrant Rights Centre Ireland estimates that there are between 20,000 and 26,000 undocumented persons living in Ireland, of whom between 2,000 and 6,000 are children. There are thousands of young undocumented children in Ireland who, bluntly, live in the shadows of our society. This is an issue we can address. If we are to take the initiative the Minister has indicated to protect the 50,000 undocumented Irish in the United States, is there not an absolute burden on us and an imperative for us to practise what we preach and address the position of those in the State who are undocumented?

See this speech in context