By April Drew

IT was standing room only at Freeport Hall in Boston on Wednesday night, December 13, as Irish American leaders gathered at a rally hosted by the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) in support of the estimated 8,000 undocumented Irish immigrants in Boston.

Over 700 people crowded in to rally for comprehensive immigration reform, and more than 120 people signed up for the 2007 Irish lobby day in Washington on Wednesday, March 7.

Wednesday’s rally included national organizations such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the GAA, Irish American Democrats, the Irish American Republicans, the Friends of Ireland, Federation of Irish American Societies, Irish American business owners, immigration centers, community leaders and professionals from across the spectrum of Irish America.

Father John McCarthy of the Irish Pastoral Center stated that the Irish community needed to get behind the drive to legalize the Irish.

“We can do it,” he said. He gave two individual examples of immigrants facing tough situations in Boston. “We need to put all this behind us, we need as a community to work for legalization like we never have before,” he added.

Hugh Meehan of the Boston ILIR and one of the evening's main organizers thanked the record crowd for coming out in such numbers. “You have sent a message tonight that we are not going to settle for anything less than green cards. Together we can make it happen,” he said.

Congressman Bruce Morrison, responsible for getting 48,000 Irish green cards in the early 1990s, was also present to give words of wisdom to the undocumented and their supporters.

“We are not going to be scared off and we are going to get the result we want like a bill similar to the Kennedy/McCain bill. Not in some future year but in this coming year 2007. You (the undocumented) can do it and the lesson to take from the Donnelly and Morrison visas is organizing, advocating and showing up,” Morrison told the meeting.

Morrison explained that there is still a lot of people power left in Washington.

“People don't show up in Washington anymore, they don't put their bodies on the line to show people this isn't about a piece of paper or a check, it's about human beings who have needs. There was nothing more dramatic than the 3,000 of you who came to Washington in the t-shirts showing the true face of Irish America and Irish immigrants, people that they couldn't turn away, and people in Washington were impressed,” Morrison said.

He continued to explain to an attentive audience that Congress aren't going to turn their back on the heritage and the contribution of the Irish community and the history of this country. “If they do so then they better fear for their political lives, that's the message we are giving,” said Morrison.

He said that part of this lobby campaign, aside from getting the undocumented here green cards, is also about “allowing people in Ireland to come here and put down their roots and make a life here. He urged the participants to contact all their senators and congressman to let them know “that you’re out there and want legalization.”

Speakers at the rally blasted the “know nothing” immigrant policies of presidential hopeful, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who has introduced a law making it possible for state troopers to pursue immigration arrests.

“The Irish community on the way out will trip up Romney, they will put out their foot and trip him rightfully so. He is for bigotry, anti human, anti you and me,” said Ciaran Staunton, vice chairman of ILIR.

He also referred to Romney as a member of the broken wing of the party. “You can't fly with a broken wing so Romney is going nowhere.” Staunton informed his audience that “there were Irish immigrants in Massachusetts before Romney and there will be Irish immigrants in Massachusetts long after Romney.”

ILIR Chairman Niall O' Dowd reminded people that they must remain hopeful and that everything is still to play for.

“We have the situation 100% better in Congress now than we had this time last year. People said we never would get this bill though the Senate, people said we would never get it through the House and they were right unfortunately, but this year we will get it through the House and you will make that happen,” he stated.

He invited people back to Washington on March 7 where ILIR are expecting 3,000 people to attend a monster rally.

“ We are working at our end of the pitch. The wind is behind us. We are three points behind but the second half hasn't begun yet,” said O'Dowd.