Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an gceist seo atá thar a bheith tábhachtach. Bhí mé i mo Sheanadóir ó 2002 go dtí 2007 agus gabhaim mo bhuíochas leis na Seanadóirí as an bhfáilte go dtí an Teach inniu. I thank Senator Lawless for placing this important topic on the agenda today. The roles currently occupied by Senator Lawless and myself bear testament to the strong commitment of the Government and the Taoiseach, in particular, to the Irish diaspora. I have had the privilege of serving as the State’s second Minister of State with responsibility for the diaspora, following former Deputy Jimmy Deenihan. The role was created by the Taoiseach in 2014. Senator Lawless was nominated to this House by the Taoiseach in recognition of his strong record in advocating for Irish immigrants abroad, particularly in the United States.I welcome this opportunity to brief the House on our approach to immigration reform in the United States and our work to further develop links with the Irish community in that country. This topic is particularly relevant and timely given the recent presidential and congressional elections in the United States. As Senators will be aware, the new President will be inaugurated on 20 January 2017. Members of the House will appreciate the relationship between Ireland and the US is complex and multi-layered. It is based on shared values as well as our deep political and economic ties. These links are reinforced by the close family links between our two countries which go back many generations and have been sustained by migratory flows across the Atlantic. The Government is acutely conscious of the issue of immigration reform in the United States. The Taoiseach, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Flanagan, other Members of Government and I have regular engagement with the Irish diaspora whenever we travel. Our embassy network also does great work in maintaining links between the Irish diaspora and Ireland, with recent arrivals and with those whose forebears left Ireland many generations ago. In my capacity as the Minister of State with responsibility for the diaspora, it is my job to connect with and support our Irish communities abroad. I am charged with the implementation of our diaspora strategy and I am committed to our emigrant support programme. I have seen the benefits of that programme first hand when meeting Irish communities and their representatives in cities, including Boston, San Francisco and New York. I acknowledge Senator Lawless's role in part of the visit to Boston where he introduced me to a number of people he knows personally and in introducing me to the nuances of different issues in dealing with those who are undocumented.

I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the immigration centres that carry out important work and ensure the Government is kept appraised of challenges facing the community. That contact is vital and I look forward to further engagement with the professional and committed staff who work on a daily basis with Irish immigrants in the United States, including those who are undocumented. The Government has adopted a two-pronged approach to immigration reform in the United States. We are seeking to regularise the status of those who are undocumented and we are also pursuing a dedicated quota for legal immigration from Ireland. We have and will continue to press for a solution for the undocumented Irish. The support of politicians in the United States is essential and during my recent visit to Boston, I had the opportunity to meet Governor Baker of Massachusetts, Mayor Marty Walsh of Boston and representatives of local organisations. While a new US administration and a new Congress will take time to settle in, nevertheless, the Government will continue to pursue this issue in our contacts with the new Administration and congressional leaders, and to encourage and promote any viable prospects for a solution to the plight of those who are undocumented.

I wish to assure the House that the Government continues to strongly advocate on the issue of immigration reform in the US at every appropriate opportunity with our contacts in the United States, including at the highest level. The Taoiseach has raised the subject with President Obama on a number of occasions and more recently we are aware that President-elect Trump has made some public comments regarding his planned policies around immigration. The Taoiseach raised the matter of immigration reform with both the President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Pence last month. Furthermore, the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, raised the matter with Speaker Paul Ryan on 23 November last. Speaker Ryan, a proud Irish-American with a keen understanding of the importance the Government attaches to this issue, indicated that he was hopeful of progress on this issue in the new Congress.

I acknowledge the work of our embassy in Washington DC and our consulates across the United States, which continue to set out Ireland’s position on immigration reform at every opportunity. I note that Ambassador Anderson will host a meeting with key stakeholders in the Irish-American community, including the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centres, on the issue of immigration reform at the Embassy of Ireland, in Washington DC on 12 January next.

Engagements by the Taoiseach, the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, and other members of Government in the US in mid-March on the occasion of St. Patrick’s Day will afford us an early opportunity to engage with the new US administration at the highest level on issues of concern to Ireland, in particular immigration reform.