Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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46. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the efforts to help the undocumented Irish in the USA; if he will outline any recent positive developments in this area; his future plans on this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32362/14]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The former Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade visited Washington D.C. over the period 17-19 June for various meetings in relation to U.S. immigration reform, which remains a key Government priority. I have been fully briefed on his discussions with key influencers in Congress and in the Administration, as well as his meetings with Irish-American community leaders, with whom the Government works closely on this issue. That visit was very worthwhile and an important element of the Government’s ongoing lobbying work in this area, but the matter is still far from resolved. The recent unexpected electoral defeat the Republican House Majority Leader represented a real setback for legislative immigration reform in the life-time of the current Congress. Furthermore the situation on the ground at the southern US border has become more acute, particularly with regard to unaccompanied minors from Central America seeking to enter the United States.

In the context of there being little prospect of immigration reform legislation being enacted before the mid-term elections in November, President Obama announced on June 30th that he intends to address certain immediate immigration-related matters via his executive powers within existing U.S. law.

The extent and nature of the administrative action that the U.S. Administration will take remain to be seen. The political and legal terrain involved is highly complex and there is clearly no guarantee that the steps to be taken will accommodate Ireland’s concerns and priorities in the area of immigration reform.

We are continuing to press our case at all levels, in close cooperation with the Irish American community groups who are active in this area. I will take every opportunity to progress this issue, as will the Minister of State with Special Responsibility for the Diaspora, Mr Jimmy Deenihan T.D., and our Embassy is in regular and ongoing communication with the relevant decision makers in Washington. We are lobbying actively to ensure that the needs of Irish citizens will be reflected to the greatest extent possible in the scope of the executive action being considered by the President. Our continuing objective is to ensure that the undocumented Irish will have the freedom to work and travel and that there will be pathways for future legal migration from Ireland to the US for those wishing to avail of it.