"Undocumented irish"<=>"illegal irish i

http://irishvoices.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html

I've been surfing the net in search for some info on immigration and I found this link.

It makes you think!

Would "undocumented irish" in USA, be the equivalent of "illegal irish immigrants" in Ireland?

No, of course not, it's not the same, it can't be the same, ... or maybe...it is!

Mendo

Only a little sample:

[quote]September has arrived and Congress will soon be back in session after the summer break.

For the Irish undocumented the prospects of a major immigration bill being passed in the House or Senate in the new session are negligible.

That does not mean there will be no action on immigration issues however.

Issues such as the Dream Act which would give legal status to children who came here with their illegal parents and know no other society are being pushed strongly by advocates such as Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois.

Senator Diane Feinstein of California has also signaled that she will be trying to pass agricultural workers legislation that would allow legalization of those who pick and harvest the California crops. Other bills may also be in the offing.

They may include a slew of border-security first provisions, put forward by opportunistic Republicans,intent on making it as hard as possible for the issue to lose some of its undoubted heat and hostility which has characterized the debate.

Thankfully there are enough legislators of principle who will oppose any such draconian measures without a measure of relief for the undocumented as well. Perhaps the-border first legislators believe that they have sufficient numbers, especially with a difficult election year coming up, to pass some bill or other but it hardly seems likely.

The Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform has obviously taken a step back since the defeat of the comprehensive bill in early summer. The lobby however, has not been idle. There has been continuous discussion with senior figures in Congress, in the Irish government and elsewhere about what will be the best way forward.

The lobby has also just hired former Congressman Bruce Morrison, author of the Morrison visas bill and a long term expert on all aspects of immigration law, as their lobbyist in Washington.

While the days of the mass rallies and 3,000 people flooding Washington are over, the goodwill and contacts created by those lobby days are still there to be harvested.

Of course if you are illegal in a apartment in the Bronx, Dorchester, Sunset or Philadelphia,the news has been discouraging since the defeat of the comprehensive bill. However, it is important to note that ILIR has continued to work with other immigraition groups and has also taken stock of what is the best way for their community to proceed.

Obviously, the Irish government now becomes a major player. Given their high visibility and major access in Washington it could not be otherwise. The government of Bertie Ahern has taken a consistently strong stand on the issue of legalizing the Irish and the time has now come for all who are interested in achieving that goal to come together and work on an agreed formula.

There are certainly enough examples of countries who received fair treatement when they sought it from the American authorities. Chile, Australia and Nicaragua to name but three have worked well to further their own interests in the recent past. Ireland must look to such examples.

There is also the issue of access to Ireland for American workers, a reality that became apparent when over 6,000 Americans attended the Irish Voice/FAS jobs fair in Manhattan last year. The reality is that Americans want - and should have - access to work in Ireland in the same way that Irish want to have access to come and work here.

All in all the situation has been bleak for some months now, but there is a new possibility abroad that efforts can be made to solve the issue of the Irish undocumented. It will not be for want of trying from ILIR or we're sure the Irish government. Let's keep hope alive.

Posted by Immigration Reform Now! at 6:56 AM 0 comments

Monday, September 03, 2007
Immigrants’ Labors Lost

The New York Times


September 3, 2007
Op-Ed Contributor
By MARK LANGE

San Francisco

IMAGINE we wanted to create a huge Latino underclass in this country. We would induce more than 500,000 illegal immigrants to enter annually. We would see Latinos account for half of America’s population growth. We would turn a hardened eye toward all 44 million Latinos, because 12 million jumped our borders to meet our labor demand.

We would financially motivate but morally deplore illegal immigrants’ determination to break our laws and risk their lives to work for us. We would let nativist, xenophobic amnesiacs pillory the roughly 25 percent of Latinos who were here illegally, at the expense of the 75 percent who were legal. CNN and Fox News would reduce Latinos to fodder for fear-mongering, and the documentariat would make them objects of pity, when they wanted and warranted neither.

We would know that if we paid them, they would come, but we would offer no legitimate employment. We would adopt a let’s-pretend labor policy in our fields, yards, factories and restaurants, and for child care, construction and cleaning, with a wage fakery worthy of the Soviet Union. There, the joke was “we pretend to work, and they pretend to pay us.â€

And some comments from different people:


[quote]38 Comments

Anonymous said...

I'm staying - can't imagine living anywhere else! The thing is, living in the US isn't just about making money or good weather, though that is nice too! Its understanding that you can make it on your own merit, regardless of your background; its a sense of community and cooperation in a melting pot of nationalities; and its knowing that an organization like the ILIR can make a difference at the highest level. Thanks for giving us a voice.

6:42 PM, July 09, 2007
Anonymous said...

Want more than anything to stay here, but at what cost, should we now be living in fear. Im all about doubling efforts, but realistically what are the chances of something actually happening.

7:41 PM, July 09, 2007
Joe said...

C'mon lads. This was always going to be a tough fight; we can't just fold at the first big hurdle. I'm in construction and it would take me years to get set up in Ireland, never mind Australia or England. Even if the worst came to the worst and we have to wait til after the presidential election, I'm still going to be in better shape here rather than starting up somewhere new. Anyway, I don't believe that the Irish Government is going to abandon us. There has to be a way out of this.

8:12 PM, July 09, 2007
Anonymous said...

As long as they don't leave us hanging for ever. I trust Dermot Ahern though. He really seems to care that we're Irish citizens. I'm not packing in until they make me....

8:13 PM, July 09, 2007
Brian from Philly said...

i agree with Joe and anonymous there..i came here and got into construction.I didnt work in that field in Ireland and would be starting from scratch all over again.I also have kids here now and dont want to move them to Ireland and let them miss out on the experience of living in this great country. It is a little disheartening but we have to keep our heads up. I think we will get some help in the future ecspecially with the ILIR with us....Thanx guys for all your hard work

9:52 PM, July 09, 2007
Anonymous said...

I have been here for over 10 years, and soon I won't be able to drive. I live in the suburbs so it will make living here very difficult.I don't know how I would manage if I had to start over again back home. I live in hope that the Irish government can help us now. Thanks for all the hard work everyone has put in to help us!!!

9:37 AM, July 10, 2007
Anonymous said...

its great to read the bloggers who are still staying positive, i wish i could feel the same, i seem to go back & forward on how i am thinking about the whole situation, from one day to the next. when i speak to friends they all say they are moving on, but no one is actually moving home. Lately when i walk to work i see every other house is for sale in our area & i'm wondering is it time for us to move back home. Then i speak to my parents & they are telling me theres nothing at home. i guess if i were single with just myself to look after it would be different, i could simply move on somewhere else, i'm as adventurous as the next person, but i have two young boys now, both American citizens & i know there are better opportunities for them here. But how long can you live like this? everyday is a struggle, just doing simple everyday things with two kids & no car.

9:37 AM, July 10, 2007
Anonymous said...

Want to stay here more than anything but when you have no drivers license any ideas on how I can renew it. Think Irish government will fight for us but how long is it going to take.

10:03 AM, July 10, 2007
Anonymous said...

I have been here 15 yrs. Im 25 now and im not gonna be held hostage anymore by this country. There are other places around the world that would love to have an educated person.... Remember Senator Vitter? the main opponent of granting legal status/amnesty.. Well someone should call him and ask him, if he thinks he should receive amnesty for sleeping with prostitutes....damn hypocrit http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070710/D8Q9MF400.html

American was something special 15 yrs ago. Now its just crap. i have heard from many Irish that moved back to Ireland or Europe in general and most of them said "Why didnt i move back earlier, what the hell was i doing there (US)
Good luck all

12:29 PM, July 10, 2007
Sam Maguire said...

It`s time for our allies and powerful friends to jump off the fence and come down favourably on our side. Carefully crafted statements, spin and talking around the subject just aren`t cutting it with me anymore.
Strong, immediate, decisive action has to come next.
As an example of what I mean, people say they`re studying a well known BL agreement. There isn`t much to study, it basically was an addendum to a Free Trade Agreement, largely a goodwill gesture that was tacked on to the Treaty, and it`s not rocket science to discover that the main benificiaries are and will be qualified professionals.
On a different note, presently at the NYPD Acamemy, there are 68 foreign born nationalities enrolled.
Can anyone find out how many, if any, are Irish born.
The Irish are disappearing, and it`s not a magic show.

1:21 PM, July 10, 2007
chip monk said...

pathetic!

2:45 PM, July 10, 2007
Anonymous said...

Is there any chance the Irish government would issue drivers licenses in exchange for US drivers licenses to the undocumented to help us out!!!!

9:07 PM, July 10, 2007
moose head said...

The Irish are disappearing
Fantastic!

10:17 AM, July 11, 2007
Anonymous said...

The Irish Government should stand up to the American Government and demand that the Irish be legalized in return for the use of Shannon airport.
A friend of mine who is lucky enough to have a visa just flew through there a few weeks ago and said it has been taken over by american troops.
The Irish Government should have thought of this years ago. It is not just in the last 5 years that the Irish have started coming here illegally!!!!!!
I came here 5 years ago on a visa and never went home. I wouldn't be here illegally if there was any other option for being here. I really don't hold out much hope anymore. I held out this long hoping for something to happen but it looks like it is time to move on.

2:08 PM, July 11, 2007
Siobhan said...

I think we're forgetting that this particular fight for us is less than two years old. People I knew who got the Morrison and Donnellys were involved in that for more than four years. There was no-one fighting for us before the ILIR got started. I remember ringing the so-called immigration centers and getting the equivalent of a blank stare by phone. I don't know if I'm going to get a green card or a visa out of this effort but I'm not giving up until it's all over. I'll quit when the ILIR quits and not before.

3:16 PM, July 11, 2007
Anonymous said...

Siobhan dont come pair the suition now to the Donnelly and Mrossison because they are not even close.We can not get driving licenses, we can not get tax numbers,the only jobs you can get with out these things is dead end jobs with nothing to reach for.With out these things you will all ways be the employe never the boss . So wake up people America dosent care we are too few ,its up to the Irish goverment to do some thing soon befor its to late
Eddie Armstrong

5:13 PM, July 11, 2007
garlic fries said...

I love your comment, anonymous:

I wouldn't be here illegally if there was any other option for being here.

I should try that at a bank: "I wouldn't be sticking you up if there was any other option for me being rich."

5:36 PM, July 11, 2007
Anonymous said...

I just received my first issue of Irish America magazine and found this website from an article.

As an American with Irish descent who dearly loves Ireland, I am one who only discovered a short while ago that there were actually Irish people living in America who were labeled 'illegals'. I do not think the 'regular' people like myself even realize this. So, I would say: STAY AND GET THE MESSAGE OUT THERE THAT THIS SITUATION EXISTS! I am from North Carolina (my Irish descentents are what was called the Scots/Irish who settled in the Mountains--Not all of your support is going to come from Boston, New York, or Chicago. Get the message to each State. If only a few people in each State get on board, contact our Legislators where it hurts, through our votes--we can make a difference. I do not think it is a Republican/Democrat Issue, I think it is a 'money' issue. No politician is going to vote on something they think will effect the economy (losing the cheap labor).

As an American I want to say that we love you, you are our Ancestors, our pride, a part of who and what we are. I know there are millions out there who feel just as I do, and by golly if we band together we can rectify this!

I am on board, I plan to start tomorrow letting everyone I know that this situation exists and should be separated from the existing 'Immigration" issue.

7:35 PM, July 11, 2007
Anonymous said...

Siobhan, well said! The ILIR is not going to quit. Niall, Ciaran & Kelly & all the Voulenteers have put to much time and effort in to this. They are 100% committed to getting everyone a visa. Some people may not know ths, but this is a 24hr 7day a week fight for all of them. They put their hearts & souls into this.
All the Irish undocumented & documented need to stay and work
to get a visa deal worked out with the US.
The future of Irish America needs it.

9:14 AM, July 12, 2007
George said...

Lads,
This question has different answers. People do what they can under the circumstances. The problem is that we've seen the past, know the present, but we don't know what the future holds for immigration reform--and this makes people very nervous about life choices.

Obviously there are many, many people who've made lives here in the US and can't pick up and leave any time soon. They have to keep the fight going; I think there's no choice.

We know that comprehensive reform won't happen until next Congress, in 2009, but incremental bills may be possible. This is where we should pressure our friends in Congress and elsewhere.

Start by a very accepted point: those who have roots in their communities should be legalized immediately! Such an act has the support of the majority of Americans and, strangely, many in the GOP who opposed the last legislation.

Instead of setting an arbitrary date [like Dec 31, 2006... something that upset many people], set a number of years in the US. If a person has been here for several years, has stayed out of trouble, etc, then he/she already is an American in essense. People can understand this, and it's easier to pass something like this through this Congress by the end of the year.

Write to Sens. Kennedy and Leahy (D) and to Specter (R) and to your local reps.

Another avenue is to incorporate into the Dream Act all those imms who have gotten a college education in the US, etc.

Incremental steps that do make a positive difference are good.... better than waiting for the big bill, which in today's political climate can't come.

Lastly, I think there shouldn'd be a breakup of the front for imm. reform, by saying, "look, we're Irish, we should get preferential treatment." I don't think it'd be a winning strategy.

Above all, in the next months before the next general election and the primaries (don't forget this very important selection process) we have to make it politically costly to those who oppose meaningful (or any) imm. reform.

10:42 AM, July 12, 2007
Lábhaoise said...

Now that the Democrats have a majority share of both houses, and it seems likely that a Democrat will take the next Presidential election (come on Hilary)? Is it possible that another bill could be pushed through... and why was the last one done so soon before easter?? I know you want to pass it as quickly as possible, but timing is everything!!

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Is that monologue , epilogue or just observation.

USA, if we care



This part is about Ireland.

What does this have to do with immigration to Ireland? You have posted in the wrong forum.