Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach will be in the White House in a matter of weeks on St. Patrick's Day. This is a very important day for the Irish in America. Will the Minister tell me what message the Taoiseach will convey to the US President on our behalf on all of these matters? A particular focus of the Government, as we have said before here, has been the very real issue of the estimated 50,000 undocumented Irish citizens in the United States. These concerns were voiced yesterday by Ciaran Staunton, the president of the Irish lobby for immigration reform in the US. The new administration's stated desire to tackle so-called sanctuary states is deeply alarming. The Irish International Immigrant Center in Boston said yesterday that President Trump's actions could contribute to a growing anti-immigrant sentiment in the US. The Irish Government has raised the issue of the undocumented in the past and I appeal to it to persist in this in the time ahead. Irish America has always been the bridge between this island and policy makers in Washington and there is alarm there just as there is here. It is imperative that efforts to resolve the plight of the undocumented Irish living in the US continue. I urge the Government to adopt a stance with the President that reflects that need. We also need to hear the Taoiseach articulate the politics of upholding equal and respectful treatment of all across the globe regardless of race, gender, background or sexual orientation. What message will the Taoiseach bring to the White House and what efforts will be made in respect of the undocumented?

See this speech in context