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

I welcome the Taoiseach's engagement with President Biden and the US Administration. An issue that has concerned me for a considerable number of years is the plight of the undocumented Irish in the US. They face particular difficulties. I am aware that both the Tánaiste and the former Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, raised this issue during their meetings in Washington in March. I hope the current Taoiseach will be able to keep this very much on the agenda. We need to secure legal pathways to visas and citizenship for Irish people who are working, paying their taxes and rearing their families in the US. Unfortunately, those people are not able to come home to Ireland if there is a family bereavement or celebration. Despite their taking part in normal day-to-day activity in the US, they cannot come home if they need to, provided they do not have visa status. I sincerely hope the matter can be kept on the agenda.

I am realistic enough to know that comprehensive immigration reform is difficult in the US because of the political divisions there at present, but bipartisan legislation was introduced recently in Congress regarding the E-3 visa programme and there is now a renewed effort to have an Irish-specific category of E-3 visa. I sincerely hope that in the Taoiseach's deliberations and engagement between the Department and the embassy, this can be very much kept on the agenda as well.

The work of special envoy Joe Kennedy is very important. Thankfully, since 1998 and the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, we have seen the growth of the all-Ireland economy. If investment comes to Northern Ireland, it is good for us, and if investment comes to our State, it is good for Northern Ireland. We now have one economy. We are all interdependent, so what benefits Northern Ireland benefits us. Similarly, what benefits us indirectly benefits Northern Ireland. Therefore, it is very important to continue to grow the all-Ireland economy, engage with the US Administration and, importantly, endorse strongly the work of special envoy Joe Kennedy, as the Taoiseach does.

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