Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

20. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the progress made on the possibility of immigration reform legislation being passed by the United States Congress following the St. Patrick's week discussions between the Irish Government and the US Administration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15251/14]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach discussed immigration reform and the plight of our undocumented in many of the meetings and public engagements during the recent St Patrick’s Day visit to Washington DC. In addition to substantive discussion of the issues with President Obama and Vice President Biden, the Taoiseach also discussed the prospects for progress with a range of other members of Congress including Speaker John Boehner; Congressman Bob Goodlatte, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee which has responsibility for immigration legislation in the House; Congressman Paul Ryan; the Congressional Friends of Ireland; and Senator Patrick Leahy, the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee that oversaw the passage of the Senate’s comprehensive immigration reform bill last June.

In addition, the Taoiseach highlighted the need for progress on immigration reform in his speeches to influential audiences including the US Chamber of Commerce, the American-Ireland Fund Gala, the White House St Patrick’s Day reception, the Ambassador’s St Patrick’s Day reception and most importantly at the Speaker’s Lunch on Capitol Hill. There were a large number of members of Congress in attendance at the Speaker’s Lunch, in addition to the President, Vice President and Speaker Boehner, and the Taoiseach called in the strongest possible terms for Congress to show leadership and deal with the immigration issue now.

Without in any way under-estimating the political complexities that persist around the immigration reform discussion in the United States, we were encouraged to hear views from both Democrats and Republicans that there is now a growing consensus in favour of reform. The Government has instructed Ambassador Anderson and her team, working with the Irish American lobby groups who have already put in such a great effort, to continue their efforts to persuade members of Congress to seize every opportunity to make immigration reform a reality.