Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern today expressed disappointment at the US Senate's rejection of a bipartisan bill to reform the country's immigration laws.
But Mr Ahern said he was encouraged that the leadership of both parties in the Senate had indicated that they would bring the legislation back up for consideration.
He said the Government would remain involved in representing the concerns of the undocumented Irish and would continue to take every opportunity to convey to US political leaders the urgent need to address this issue.
The White House-backed bill to revamp US immigration laws was voted down in the Senate last night in what was a major setback for President Bush.
The divided Senate refused to limit debate on the compromise hammered out by a bipartisan group of senators and the White House.
The vote was 45-50, 15 short of the 60 votes needed to advance significant legislation in the 100-member body toward a final vote. As a result, the bill was set aside and the Democratic-led Senate moved on to other legislation.
Any delay diminishes chances that an immigration overhaul, already an issue in advance of the November 2008 presidential election, can be enacted before Mr Bush leaves office.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, expressed the hope that lawmakers could return to the controversial bill at another time.
"I doubt the prospects will get better with the passage of time," McConnell said. "I wouldn't wait a whole long time to do it."
The bill had been seen as a breakthrough in a campaign that has seen undocumented Irish citizens demonstrate in Washington five times over the past year.
Speaking today, Niall O'Dowd founder of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, said although it was a setback, it is "too early to pronounce it [the bill] dead".
Mr O'Dowd said: "The opponents of the bill have not come up with any real strategy as to how you actually deal with this massive human issue of the 12 million illegal immigrants.
"It always was going to be difficult, but I do think there's a reasonable chance that we will see it back on the floor of the senate by the end of June."
Under the bill, undocumented immigrants who entered the United States before January 1st this year would be offered a temporary residency permit while they await a new "Z Visa" to live and work lawfully.
The head of an illegal immigrant household would have eight years to return to his or her home country to apply for permanent legal residence for members of the household, but each Z Visa itself would be renewable indefinitely, as long as the holder passes a criminal background check, remains fully employed and pays a $5,000 (€3,705) fine plus a processing fee.
The bill would also create a temporary worker programme to bring new arrivals to the United States and a separate programme to cover agricultural workers.
Skills and education level would carry more weight than family connections to decide whether future immigrants should receive permanent legal status.
Conservatives say the measure would give amnesty to people who broke US laws, while unions say the temporary worker programme would create an underclass of cheap labourers.
Mr Ahern paid tribute to Republican and Democratic Senators, and to the White House, who he said have "striven to achieve a bipartisan agreement on this important matter."
"The continued firm commitment of Senator Kennedy and others to securing a comprehensive and positive solution to this sensitive issue is welcomed by the Government, and we will continue to support their efforts in this regard," he added.