Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are probably all on the same page. There are Irish people living in the US who are literally living in the shadows. They are much more concerned and feel a lot more vulnerable and exposed than they have in the past. This is a big issue. We are trying to think imaginatively as to how we can progress it with the current Administration but that is not straightforward. We would not have asked Deputy John Deasy to do the job he is doing at present if we did not think he could make some progress. I am happy to talk to people about how we are doing and what we are doing, but I would not like to raise expectations. This is not straightforward and it is not easy given the current political environment in Washington, but it is something that is at the top of the priority list for us in the context of the Ireland-US relationship and we will continue to try to progress it.

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