Martin Conway (Fine Gael)

I, too, welcome the developments yesterday in the United States on the provision of visas for Irish people who wish to travel to the United States. I suggest to the Leader that it might be a good idea to invite the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to come to the House in the new year for a debate on the undocumented Irish in America. The people concerned would love to be able to come home for Christmas, but legally they cannot do so. If they do, it is more than likely that they will be unable to get back into America. In 2007 I attended a rally held in Washington for the undocumented Irish to support the Kennedy-McCain legislation which, unfortunately, collapsed at the eleventh hour. I hope we are looking at a new dawn for the illegal Irish living abroad and that a pathway to legalisation will be created. The people concerned want to live, work, pay their taxes and take out health insurance legally in the United States in which they want to play a full part in their communities. They do not want to live there illegally. All they want is a channel to become full American citizens because America is now their home, but, importantly, they also want to be able to travel home freely and without any difficulties to visit their loved ones, attend weddings and, unfortunately, funerals. That is a basic human right Irish people living abroad for 15 to 20 years deserve and the Government has a duty of care to them. It should work with the American authorities and those in America who have at their core the betterment of Irish communities abroad. I support Senators Mark Daly, Michael Comiskey and others in the work they do and look forward to working with them to ensure this matter can be brought to a satisfactory resolution.