Madam, - Much has been reported in the Irish media of late on the ongoing efforts to get immigration reform passed in the US. We write publicly to acknowledge and thank the Taoiseach and the Irish Government for its advocacy work on behalf of the undocumented Irish in the US. We are grateful in particular to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern and his staff, including the Irish Abroad Unit, who have travelled to the US several times in the past year to lobby for the Kennedy McCain bill aimed at granting legal status to immigrants.
On March 16th, Seamus Brennan, Minister for Social and Family Affairs, attended a briefing on immigrant matters in Boston and listened to the challenges facing the undocumented Irish. We are happy to see an inter-party delegation, with members from all political parties, join in the efforts this week in Washington.
Three days after our meeting with Mr Brennan, we were very distressed to see a negative article by Eilis O'Hanlon in the Sunday Independent of March 19th. Her suggestions that the undocumented Irish in the US had supported the Ku Klux Klan and the IRA and were "rats" were offensive to many. In recent weeks, we have observed some letters, though not as harsh, to your own paper criticising the Government for its advocacy on behalf of the undocumented Irish in the US.
At the Irish Pastoral Center in Massachusetts, we assist undocumented Irish immigrants each day on our hotlines. We see immigrants who are exploited in the workplace, living in fear of reporting crimes committed upon them, and unable to go home to bury parents and loved ones. We see young men from Ireland who work long hours for low pay and we have lost some workers, killed in accidents at unsafe worksites. There have also been young women, sexually assaulted in the workplace, but afraid to report the harassment to authorities because of their immigration status. Many of the undocumented are living in great stress, depressed about their lack of status.
A large percentage of the Irish have been here for years and have established strong roots in their communities. They have friends, loved ones and relatives here. Many have homes and business, and their children are in school. Going "home" is just not an option for the majority, because returning to Ireland means they will be barred from coming back to the US for 10 years.
We look forward to the reform of US immigration laws to allow hard-working, tax-paying immigrants a chance to adjust their status here in America. The reform bill is at a critical stage in the legislative process, and we are proud that our own Government is taking a leading role in these efforts. Regardless of what challenges we face at home, we can never forget our Irish abroad. - Yours, etc,
Sr MARGUERITE KELLY, Executive Director, Fr JOHN McCARTHY, Chaplain, Irish Pastoral Center, Quincy, Massachusetts, USA.