By April Drew

THE Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) is suiting up for battle and beginning a major push for immigration reform now that the midterm election results are in, and Democrats are in control of the House and Senate, according to executive director Kelly Fincham.

“We are very encouraged by the number of politicians from both parties including the president who have talked up immigration reform in the next session of Congress,” said Fincham. “We fully intend to play our part starting now.

ILIR will begin their efforts with a recommencement of weekly meetings in Yonkers and Queens which will lead to a public meeting on Friday, December 1 at St. Barnabas in Woodlawn. In addition meetings are being organized in Boston, San Francisco and Florida.

The new ILIR drive, named “Countdown to Victory,” will culminate in Washington, D.C. in January with a third major national rally.

“Frankly it needs to be the biggest rally, we need Congress to know we mean business,” says Mary Brennan, organizer of the ILIR meetings in Woodlawn.

“Now that we have the majority of the Senate and House on our side, it’s time to remind them that we are still around and we won’t go away until we get our green cards,” comments Brennan.

The Yonkers committee will continue with their meetings starting Wednesday, November 15 in the Heritage Bar on McLean Avenue at 8 p.m. sharp.

“It is so important that undocumented Irish come to these meetings. If you want a green card don’t you think an hour out of your Wednesday nights is worth it?” Brennan says.

“I want people to understand what this means. This is our last chance. We could have this in the bag before long but it won’t happen unless we have the numbers,” says Brennan.

She reminds the undocumented that ILIR is only 11 months old, and history has shown that it has taken up to two years and more to win the visa battle in times past.

“We are so close now more than ever, and we have a Congress that is on our side so let’s get up off our behinds and get out and do something. It really is in your hands,” she says.

The Queens meetings will also begin again on Monday in Saints and Sinners at 8 p.m. Steve McSweeney, who chairs the Queens group, is also pleading with people to “come out and fight for what they want.”

McSweeney feels that there is a new sense of hope. “It is now our chance to come together and move forward together. In the past when the Republicans had control of the House they weren’t inclined to push for immigration reform, but now I just know that the Democrats will push a lot more,” he says.

Kelly Fincham, executive director of ILIR, is elated with the election results.

“It’s almost as if all the stars have aligned for us. We could not have foreseen this coming a few months ago,” she said.

Fincham is especially pleased that the Republican House leadership who adamantly opposed immigration reform are no longer in control.

“They are no longer chairmen of the relevant committees anymore. Other people with a much more moderate view of immigration are in power. There is everything in there to play for,” says Fincham.

Like Brennan and Sweeney, Fincham encourages supporters of ILIR, particularly those who are undocumented, to come to the meetings and find out what’s going on.

“I can’t over-emphasize and over-stress that people need to come out and support this, but we are not the people that need to be convinced. It’s very important that the wider community sees that the Irish have not given up, that the Irish are going to go out there and fight for their lives in this country,” she says.

The ILIR committee is urging people to watch out for posters about the upcoming public meeting in December and the rally in Washington in January. It is imperative for the future of Irish undocumented that ILIR has a huge representation in Washington in January, Fincham says.

People who are interested in either obtaining legal status or supporting people in getting legal status are advised to sign up online at www.legalizetheirish.org.

Weekly newsletters will be sent via email to members informing them of where the issue stands, what actions need to be taken and how to go about it.

Local organizers have also put a petition together online to allow ILIR members to march in the St. Patrick’s Parade in New York City.

“This is another important event to expose our issue, to make people aware that there are Irish undocumented still out there and more importantly, to send a message to the strong arm of the law that we are certainly not going away. Please log on and sign the petition,” remarks Brennan.

T-shirts can be purchased online at www.legalizetheirish.org, which also posts daily updates on upcoming events.