By Debbie McGoldrick

SENATOR John McCain electrified an audience of more than 2,000 at an Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) town hall meeting in the Bronx last Friday, and expressed a strong belief that Congress will soon find common ground on a way to legalize a majority of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.

McCain, the Arizona Republican who is working in tandem with Democratic colleague Senator Edward Kennedy to win approval for a strong version of their McCain/ Kennedy reform bill in the Senate this week, also stressed that the recent pro-immigration rallies in the U.S. are having a significant impact on the shape of the debate on Capitol Hill.

“With the kind of demonstrations taking place across America I think we will have a bill for President Bush to sign very soon,” McCain said to wild rounds of applause at St. Barnabas church in the Irish enclave of Woodlawn. “The American people are yearning for those of us in Washington to reach across the aisle and act in the best interests of the nation on this issue, instead of fighting about it.

The McCain meeting was another triumphant outing for ILIR and its committed, thousands-strong membership, many of whom were wearing the group’s “Legalize the Irish” t-shirts on the night.

Formed four months ago by Irish Voice publisher Niall O’Dowd and community activist Ciaran Staunton, ILIR’s impact on the national immigration debate has been substantial, a fact that McCain acknow-ledged during his speech.

“So many of you have taken so much time and effort, including the 3,000 of you who traveled to Washington, D.C. last month, and you are being heard,” McCain said, referring to the ILIR rally on Capitol Hill on March 8. McCain spoke at the event, and was so impressed by the group’s efforts that his staffers immediately contacted ILIR to arrange a meeting in the Bronx.

The senator entered St. Barnabas to the theme music from the film Rocky, and the crowd was pumped, giving him a boisterous standing ovation that lasted several minutes and also included chants of “Ole, Ole, Ole” and the Irish signature song, “The Fields of Athenry.”

McCain’s words of hope were music to the ears of those in attendance, many of whom stand to benefit from the temporary worker provision in the McCain/Kennedy bill that would grant legal status to qualified undocumented in the U.S. prior to January of 2004. The bill will likely be voted on by the full Senate at the end of this week, and if approved will have to be reconciled with a House measure that deals only with border enforcement and increased security.

The Senate is leaning towards approval of a temporary worker program, and McCain said he is determined to protect its inclusion when the House/Senate conference on the issue commences after the Senate vote.

“Both parties will be at the conference, but Senator Kennedy and I worry about these things,” he said. “Strange things can sometimes happen at conference. We might insist that it be an open conference so that all the deliberations are known.”

A front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008, McCain had words of praise for President George W. Bush, who has forcefully expressed his desire for Congress to offer legal status to qualified undocumented workers.

One of the questions McCain fielded after his remarks came from a man who asked if President Bush had spent all his political capital on the war in Iraq, thus making his thoughts on immigration reform irrelevant.

“I think he has capital left,” McCain replied. “President Bush was governor of the state of Texas and he is familiar with this issue. There is a segment (in Washington) that is opposed to reform. He is not, and he is standing up for it.”

The efforts to block the creation of a guest worker program for the undocumented in favor of border and security measures only are being spearheaded primarily by members of McCain’s Republican Party in both the House and Senate. He admitted the difference of opinion in the GOP is strong.

“I’m concerned about the future of the Republican Party, but I’m more concerned about the future of the nation, and what kind of a nation we are going to be,” McCain said.

“I think we’re going through a great debate in the party. But I think we can build consensus on this issue. The wind is at our backs. I’m optimistic. I encourage discussion in any party.”

One of the questioners asked McCain about Congressman Peter King, co-sponsor of the House bill that would also turn the undocumented into felons, and those who aid them.

King and McCain are long-time political allies; King was one of the first to lend support to McCain’s campaign for the presidency in 2000. The Long Island representative has been a steadfast supporter of all Irish issues during his time in Congress, but has parted ways when it comes to immigration reform.

“Peter is a fine man and a fine representative,” McCain said of King, who was elected chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee last year. “I think the people in this room ought to provide him with a better education on the matter.”

McCain’s words for Congressman Tom Tancredo, Republican of Colorado who is a strident opponent of offering any type of legalization to the undocumented, were far less friendly. “I don’t usually respond to him,” McCain said, “but what would I say to him? Well, come on in, the water’s fine!”

Throughout the meeting, McCain stressed the impossibility of physically seeking out 11 million undocumented residents and deporting them. “I would like someone to explain to me how that could be done,” he said.

“Some believe we should round them up and send them back. I don’t know how you do that, and I don’t know why you’d want to. Of course, post-September 11 America must enforce its borders, and protect against people who want to come here to do us harm.

“But (the undocumented) have grasped the lowest rung of our ladder. They want to rise, and we should let them. Let them come out of the shadows, pay a fine, stay employed, pay taxes, and earn their citizenship. We all will be the better for it.”

McCain, a member of the Senate since 1986, said the current immigration debate is unlike anything he has ever seen in his vast political career.

“It’s really something else,” he stated. “Senator Mel Martinez from Florida said to me that this issue has galvanized his state in a way he has never seen in his life. We’ve never seen anything quite like this. There were 200,000 people demonstrating in Phoenix, and the sheriff in LA told me the march there attracted close to 750,000 people. We’ve never seen this kind of active participation in the process.

“I know that sooner or later we will prevail. In the meantime, how many people suffer in the shadows? Every day someone is being abused or mistreated. That’s not what America is supposed to be all about.”

The problem of illegal immigration is particularly acute in Arizona, McCain said, where border crossings often have deadly consequences.

“Last fiscal year 410 people died in the desert of Arizona. They died trying to come here to have a better life,” he said. “One of those dead was a two year old girl. Another died with a rosary in her hand. There’s a humanitarian side of this issue that we really do need to keep in mind.”

The audience, looking for direction in the crucial days ahead, was advised by McCain to apply political pressure now more than ever. New York Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton support immigration reform efforts, but he advised that people should call friends and family members in other states.

“You all know people all over the country. Get them to find out how members of the Senate stand on this issue in their state,” McCain said.

“If they’re on the wrong side call and ask them to change, and if they’re on the right side call and say thanks. There is nothing our large egos like better than words of thanks.

“And next time you hear discussion about the issue (in the media), call in and speak up. When you explain to the American people the idea of earning citizenship, with the first priority enforcing borders, they understand.”

McCain vowed that he would keep working with Kennedy to clear a path towards legalization for the undocumented no matter how long it takes. One audience member asked if McCain would be willing to team again with Kennedy next year if the current Senate push to enact reform fails.

“As long as he’s still alive!” McCain said to laughter. “We do enjoy each other’s company.”

But McCain is far from giving up the fight this time around. “(This week) is a critical one. If we can get the bill through before we leave (for a two-week recess) that will be a major achievement,” he feels.

The meeting’s serious business was offset by several lighthearted moments in addition to the aforementioned Kennedy one. A member of the audience told McCain that a runway was built in Donegal for him should he ever decide to visit on his way to a presidential run.

“If I do decide to run I will call on you for assistance!” McCain replied. “You know, after I lost in the primaries (in 2000) I slept like a baby. I’d sleep two hours and wake up crying, sleep two hours and cry.”

Boxer John Duddy, the New York-based middleweight contender from Co. Derry, was given a huge cheer when he rose to ask a question. McCain shook his hand and shared a story of his time spent in the squared circle.

“I was a mediocre boxer. I was able to observe the lights from a prone position,” he said.

And is the all-important bill Kennedy/McCain, or McCain/Kennedy? “We’ll call it McCain/Kennedy tonight,” ILIR Chairman O’Dowd laughed, with nods of approval from a smiling McCain.

The meeting was attended by a number of political and Irish community leaders, including Congressman Eliot Engel, Irish Consul General Tim O’Connor, Irish Embassy First Secretary Joe Hackett, Wall Street Access chairman and CEO Denis Kelleher and New York GAA Chairman Seamus Dooley. ILIR hosted a private reception where they had the chance to meet McCain, who was accompanied by his daughter Megan, before the meeting.