The US mid-term election results have probably boosted the campaign for citizenship rights for Irish illegals in the US, Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern said tonight.
Mr Ahern is meeting key immigrant rights groups in New York this weekend to help the plight of the estimated 30,000 undocumented workers.
In a blow to president George Bush, the Opposition Democrat Party has taken control of the House of Representatives and the Senate for the first time in 12 years.
Mr Ahern said: "The mid term election results have probably boosted significantly the prospects for making positive progress in securing rights for our undocumented. I believe the climate for positive reform is more favourable although my meetings over the weekend in the US will provide me and my officials with a greater insight into the possibilities for securing a positive outcome in the coming months."
"There are certainly Congressmen, both Republican and Democrat, who are very supportive of what we are trying to achieve.
"Ultimately, the message I will be delivering is that the United States will benefit most by regularising the documentation of Irish immigrants."