Fianna Fáil Senator Robbie Gallagher is calling on the Government representatives who will be visiting the United States, as part of the 2022 St Patrick's Day programme, to develop a strategy to exert whatever influence they can on the US Administration to provide solutions for the thousands of undocumented Irish in the US.
Senator Gallagher commented, “The plight of undocumented Irish people living in America has been an ongoing issue for many years. They feel isolated and forgotten. They have missed out on significant family events and milestones such as births, birthdays, weddings and funerals.
“In 1990, the Donnelly Programme allowed over 10,000 to avail of visas to live and work in the US within the first year after the bill was enacted. From 1992 to 1994 there were 16,000 of 50,000 Morrison Visas set aside for Irish people each year. These programmes are evidence of what can be achieved.”
The Senator highlighted that the Migration Policy Institute estimated that there were approximately 16,000 undocumented Irish in the US in 2017.
Senator Gallagher added, “The current US Administration has strong Irish-American influence with control of the White House, Congress and Senate. It is now opportune for Irish political representatives to develop a strategy to exert whatever influence they can on the US Administration to get this issue over the line once and for all.”
