Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate Martin Groves and his family on the appointment. I look forward to working with him and it has been a pleasure so far working with him, so we will continue in that fashion.

On 9 November 2016, I entered this House and raised concerns for the undocumented Irish in the United States of America after it became apparent that Mr. Donald Trump had won the election and would become President of the United States of America.That day, I called on the Government to establish a special task force to work on behalf of the undocumented Irish. No task force was established and nothing appears to have been done by the Government. As with Brexit and most problems, the Government ignores problems until such a time as they turn into a crisis. The Irish Government must stand behind the undocumented Irish in the United States and urgently establish a task force to make representations on their behalf.

Of the numerous executive orders signed by the President, the newest anti-immigration policies scare me the most. I am sure many of us will take a stance on them today in the House. I formally oppose the anti-immigration, anti-refugee and anti-Muslim policies in particular of the President of the United States. What is most disturbing and which shows a serious erosion of the rule of law is the President's sacking of Sally Yates, the US equivalent to our Attorney General, for refusing to defend the new anti-immigration policies, which include the 120-day stay on the already meagre refugee programme and the 90-day ban on entry into the USA by nationals from seven countries with majority Muslim populations.

When the Taoiseach visits the White House in March, I hope he takes the opportunity, on behalf of many people who will never get a chance to meet the President, to raise the concerns of many Irish people about his immigration policies and other discriminatory policies. To do otherwise and just turn up for a photo opportunity and a bowl of shamrock would let many people down.