US:Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern yesterday welcomed President Bush's support for comprehensive immigration reform legislation in the US.
Mr Ahern said he and the Taoiseach will highlight their concerns on undocumented Irish when they meet Mr Bush and key members of Congress during the St Patrick's Day period. He said the president's support would regularise the status of illegal Irish.
"The president's statement will add significant momentum to the campaign to provide legal status to the undocumented, including thousands of Irish people. It follows recent positive statements from the Senate majority and minority leaders who identified immigration reform as a key legislative priority for the period ahead."
The Government is determined to continue its active engagement on behalf of Irish people in the US who remain caught in the shadow of fear and uncertainty, he added.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael spokesman on emigrant affairs Paul Connaughton TD said he was heartened by Mr Bush's comments that "we need to uphold the great tradition of the melting pot that welcomes and assimilates new arrivals". He said we had reached a milestone in terms of developing a solution for the undocumented Irish who had built a life in the US.