Undocumented Irish React With Caution

By Georgina Brennan

WHEN the news of President George Bush’s new ideas on immigration hit the headlines last Wednesday, thousands of undocumented Irish were paying particular attention. In the Irish enclave of the Bronx, the chat over the Shepherd’s Pie in the Irish Coffee Shop, under the dryers in the Hair Shoppe and across bar counters on Katonah Avenue was all about the changes in American policy that had the potential to change Irish lives forever. 

“The president is giving green cards away,” said June, an undocumented receptionist from Galway. “I was thinking I couldn’t live here any more being illegal, always looking over my shoulder, but now with this, it’s great news. Where do I sign up and how do I get legal?” 

James, 25, is an undocumented carpenter from Tipperary. In Ireland he sold used cars but came to America to make money. 

“I am earning maybe $1,200 a week. I live in a great apartment and I love New York. My only problem is that I can’t go home. But they are saying now that I can, so I think that’s great” he said. 

But more and more as details of the plan came out, the undocumented Irish and some immigration specialists were more cautious. 

John, 29, is an electrician with different ideas. “If I sign up for this program, it makes me legal right? Yeah but only for three years. After that I have to go home and there’s no promise that I’ll get a green card,” he lamented.

Paul, 28, is a college graduate who wants to live in America. “I really want to work here, I really want to pay taxes, but the sound of this proposal does not give me hope,” he told the Irish Voice. 

“First of all it’s just a proposal, it’s just a speech to make Bush look good in an election year. Bush doesn’t want us here and he thinks we are stupid. I think Bush is only trying to woo the Latino votes by promising he will make it better for their undocumented relatives. I don’t see him coming through because Congress takes forever to pass anything and if it doesn’t pass, Bush can just say, ‘Ah sure didn’t I try.’”

In any case, says Paul, there is much wrong with the proposal. “I can work for three years but then I have to go and Bush said he won’t be in favor of rewarding illegals with citizenship. It’s not an offer of the American dream, it’s a tease – come and sweat for the U.S. for three years then go away. No thanks.” 

The problems already in evidence of long delays and deportations with the immigration agencies are making some undocumented worry about their position if the guest worker program is introduced. 

“At first blush, it’s very appealing,” said Angela Kelley of the National Immigration Forum, a pro-immigrant lobby in Washington. “But what happens at the end of that period? If you have folks who can’t get legal status, then you have something that has a lot of shine, but once it wears off, it will have a pretty dull finish.”

Some undocumented agree. “They say it means we will all get legal but I have a friend who got married in 2000. He still hasn’t got his work permit,” said Tracy, 27, an undocumented waitress from Donegal. 

“If we sign up, we will be admitting we are illegal here, but there is no guarantee that we will get our permits before the three years are up. I’m not a smart girl, but that doesn’t seem like a wise risk. It’s probably better to stay here illegally, they aren’t looking for us after all,” she added.

Mary, 45, is a home aide for the elderly. She and her husband have been living illegally in the U.S. since the early 1980s. They missed out on a green card when an amnesty was given in that decade. 

“I have a 16 year old daughter. She wants to go to college in a couple of years. As it stands she can’t go because she has no status in America. Under this program, my husband and I could get status, but she couldn’t. So, in three years when our visa is up and we have to leave the country, what happens to her?” Mary asked. 

“I don’t know if we would be willing to do it,” she said. “It will all depend on how sure we are of being able to stay here.”

Francie is 29 and working in the construction industry. “Nobody is saying that this is happening, it’s just a couple of ideas. Actually its very transparent. 

“Bush is only making a couple of promises he’s not going to keep. Even if it came in, Irish people work in construction, for three months of the year they can barely get work one day a week. Under the tax system you would be taxed on the whole year and with the shape the dollar is in, you would be earning less than in Ireland. You would be forced into going home to earn a better wage,” he said.