Ahern Visit A Timely One

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Editorial / Periscope - Niall O'Dowd

Ahern Visit A Timely One

October 4, 2007

THE visit to New York and Washington, D.C. this week of Irish Foreign Minster Dermot Ahern is a timely one. The new Irish government has just been installed and Ahern, a key figure in the new line-up, is here on UN and Irish community business.

While in New York he met with Irish immigrant groups, most notably the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR), which filled him in on the dire straits that undocumented Irish citizens face here in America.

He comes in a week when a well-known ILIR member was arrested and jailed in upstate New York after immigration agents checked passengers on a train close to the Canadian border. As one of the most committed ILIR volunteers, his loss is a major one for the organization.

It is an illustration of how uncertain the day to day life as an undocumented immigrant can be. The individual concerned was on his way to attend a car rally outing. In a blink his life has changed for the worst.

It is a further example that the undocumented know that there is no security for the future, ultimately, unless a path to legality can be found.

That is something Ahern is clearly aware of. In Washington he is to meet senior White House figures as well as Senators Edward Kennedy and Charles Schumer. No doubt immigration will be discussed as this Irish government has made a clear priority of the issue.

Ahern has invaluable experience as foreign minister dealing with the matter. He made an impressive contribution at the ILIR Dublin rally earlier this year where close to 1,000 relatives of the undocumented attended.

The fact that he is back in his old job after the recent election in Ireland is a real boost. He gets the immigration issue, no certain thing among Irish politicians.

He has first hand experience of how people are affected by being here without status, having dealt well with the families of many undocumented from his own constituency of Louth. As a border county member of the Irish Parliament, he also knows that there are huge numbers of Northern Ireland residents who need the help of the Irish government to resolve this issue.

Certainly the Irish government can assist in the search for a solution to this vexed matter. The death of comprehensive immigration reform in this year’s Congress has made their role all the more important.

The contribution of the Irish to America for generations now needs to be brought home in the strongest fashion possible to the powers that be.

There is no quick fix of course, no magic wand that Ahern or ILIR or anyone else can wave that will bring about an instant solution.

However, in the context of the Irish and American relationship there is no question that a new departure is needed.

As was proven with the Irish Jobs Fair in Manhattan last year, organized in part by the Irish Voice, there is a huge number of Americans who would love to live and work legally in Ireland if given the chance.

Over 6,000 of them attended the fair, and it was clear to all present that there is a huge reciprocal need on both sides of Atlantic to have some kind of legal access to the other’s country.

As we have pointed out before, Australia, Chile and Singapore are just three countries that have succeeded in winning special recognition of their citizens’ needs in recent years. There is no obvious reason why Ireland should not be part of that list, given the incredible contribution to America.

We are sure Minister Ahern will be making that point to all he meets.

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