Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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43. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on the efforts to secure a legal pathway for the undocumented Irish in the United States of America; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40303/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Government continues to pursue two key objectives with regard to supporting Irish communities in the United States; increased pathways for legal migration by Irish citizens to the US and relief for the plight of undocumented Irish citizens living in the US.

The Taoiseach discussed the issue with President Trump in the Oval Office last March and also in his meetings on Capitol Hill during this year’s St. Patrick’s Day visit. I have also prioritised this issue in my own engagements with the US Administration and Congress.

The Government’s Special Envoy to the United States Congress on the Undocumented, Deputy John Deasy, has been active on the issue and has, since his appointment, travelled to Washington, D.C., on ten separate occasions for meetings with key contacts.

In addition, our Embassy in Washington, D.C., continues to engage on an ongoing basis with the Administration and with a wide range of contacts on Capitol Hill.

The Embassy, as well as our six Consulates across the United States, also work closely with Irish immigration centres, which support the needs of Irish citizens in the United States, including undocumented Irish citizens. My colleague Minister of State Ciarán Cannon met with the New York and Philadelphia-based Irish Centers just last week in New York.

Through these many high-level contacts and discussions, the Government continues to explore a number of different options, including the possibility of a reciprocal agreement covering the undocumented Irish in the US, on the one hand, and US citizens looking to move to Ireland, on the other.

This remains a very challenging issue, however, and I do not want to raise expectations. Immigration reform has been a sensitive and divisive issue within the US political system for decades, with pronounced disagreement, even within the same political parties, on the best way to deal with an issue which directly affects over 11 million people.

I can assure the Deputy that both the Taoiseach and I, together with our Government colleagues, Special Envoy Deputy Deasy, and our Embassy in Washington, D.C., will continue to prioritise this issue, mindful of its importance to the thousands of undocumented and to their families in Ireland. We will spare no effort in seeking a solution.