Rebuilding Bridges with Our US Cousins

After a successful and positive celebration of St. Patrick’s Day it seems that everyone is singing from the same hymn book for the first time in a very long time.

Here’s just some of the coverage on Toaiseach Cowen’s visit to the White House, to visit his possible cousin President Obama -

RTE
Taoiseach Brian Cowen has begun a three-day visit to the US, which will culminate with a meeting with President Barack Obama to celebrate St Patrick's Day……

…The Taoiseach launched a major review yesterday of Ireland-US relations aimed at strengthening the economic and social ties between the two countries.

It is the first significant review of diplomatic relations with the US since the 1930s.
Given the economic difficulties that both Ireland and the US are experiencing, Mr Cowen believes now is the time to re-energise the critical relationship between the two countries.

The New York Times

In a speech Sunday night at the American Irish Historical Society on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, Prime Minister Brian Cowen of Ireland said he would urge the Obama administration to expand visas for Irish workers and allow them to stay two years here instead of the current one.

And in a move to woo Irish-Americans, Mr. Cowen proposed measures to make it easier for Americans to claim Irish citizenship, reversing a restrictive course the Irish government took in 2005.

“The connections between Ireland and America remain strong,” Mr. Cowen said, “but we cannot take them for granted.”....

.....Mr. Cowen was cheered Sunday, at least in some quarters, for his proposal to ease naturalization by allowing Americans whose nearest Irish ancestor is a great-grandparent to qualify for citizenship, provided that they have spent considerable time studying or working in Ireland. Under current law, the most distant forebear an American could claim and still qualify for Irish citizenship is a grandparent....

The number of Americans with Irish ancestry has been estimated to be as high as 40 million, and millions of those people have no closer blood tie to Ireland than a great-grandparent.
The immigration proposal grew out of a “strategic review” of Irish-American relations Mr. Cowen ordered up last year, the first such review performed by the government since the 1930s, he said.

For Irish professionals looking to find work in the United States, Mr. Cowen, 49, who worked doing demolition in Midtown Manhattan on a summer off from college, said he hoped the American government would enact something like the E-3 visas it has offered to a set number Australians a year since 2005.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

Many ILIR supporters will know Samantha Melia who electrified so many meetings in the U.S. with her take-no-prisoners attitude. And those of you who attended the Friends and Family rally in Dublin would have heard Samantha's father make an impassioned plea for his daughter and all the undocumented Irish in the U.S. For those of us who met both Samantha and her father, it was clear that the apple truly never falls far from the tree.

We are saddened to report that Samantha's father, Davey Meade, has passed away in Ireland. We extend our deepest condolences to Sam and her husband Liam and all of the Meade family. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

Bi-Lateral USA-Ireland Visa Agreement Called For

The ever increasing dole queues in Ireland inevitably mean that there is a strong liklihood that many more young Irish people will be tempted to try their luck at finding a job across the water in the United States, thereby adding to the many thousands of undocumented Irish who are currently resident in the States.

The Westport born Vice President of the Irish Lobby for Emigration Reform Ciaran Staunton is currently in Ireland , as the organisation strive to find a solution to this long running problem.

Speaking today on Ocean fm, Ciaran Staunton said that now is the time for the Irish Government to push hard for the introduction of a bi lateral visa agreement along the lines of an agreement which the Australian government has in place with the American administration.

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Is this country destined to repeat its mistake made over the past decades? Are we going to continue to encourage the young Irish to go and seek their fortune abroad, leaving their failing homeland with no structures in place so that they may return?

Will Ireland ever learn!.....Call your local politicians and ask them what they're doing for your friends and family in the US.

The New Start - A New Campaign

The Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) is gearing up for a new campaign on behalf of legal access for Irish immigrants to the US.

The ILIR will be returning to Washington next month for meetings with members of Congress who hold senior positions in the committees overseeing immigration reform.

Chairman Niall O'Dowd and Vice-Chairman Ciaran Staunton both attended the inauguration of President Barack Obama in Washington and held several meetings with key members of the new administration as well as the powerful Friends of Ireland in Congress.

They reported that there is a new consensus at both the Senate and House level to move forward on immigration reform over the next 12 months.

In addition, ILIR lobbyist Bruce Morrison and Irish American Democrats President Stella O'Leary have met with the Obama administration on the issue.

Immigration is already one of the key issues on the agenda for President Barack Obama and he has underlined that commitment by naming a number of seasoned immigration advocates to senior posts.

Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano - who has spoken out in support of comprehensive immigration reform - will be the Secretary of Homeland Security. Her role will include overseeing the various immigration agencies that are part of the Department of Homeland Security.

Meanwhile, Cecilia Muñoz, our former colleague in the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform has been named to a top post in the White House itself. Ms Muñoz - a veteran immigration campaigner - has been named Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the White House. Ms. Muñoz was most recently vice-president at NCLR (National Council of La Raza), and was a long-time member of the National Immigration Forum's Board of Directors.

In addition, ILIR supporter Senator Hilary Clinton (D-NY) is the new Secretary of State, and Eric Holder, former Deputy Attorney General under President Clinton, will be Attorney General.

Meanwhile, the new Irish Intern Work and Travel Program is now operational. Irish college students or recent graduates can submit their applications now for visas that will allow them to live and work in the US for a year. Information on this program can be found at www.dfa.ie or at www.iicenter.org/services/J1-iwt.htm If you have any questions on the new working holiday visa in the US, please contact Peggy Comfrey, Director of International Programs, on (001)617-542-1900 ext. 14 or pcomfrey@iicenter.org, or Ann Marie Byrne 617-542-7654 ext. 16 or ambyrne@iicenter.org

If you have any other queries, please contact the ILIR directly,

Warm regards
Kelly Fincham
Executive Director,
Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform
718-598-7530

A New Start - Hope

Yesterday "four Irish boys from the north side of Dublin" (U2, in case you hadn't heard) had the honour of welcoming Barak Obama to the stage at Washington. Tomorrow, we can only hope, that tomorrow marks the begining of a new chapter in the history of the United States, the World and the our friends and families, the undocumented in the United States.

At a time when it is becoming ever clearer that our friends and familes cannot hope to come home and support themselves in our country we can only hope that Barak Obama will see the sense in reforming the rules of immigration and allowing our tax paying, hard working friends and family to remain legally in the United States.

What we need to do is make sure that no one forgets who we are and what we want. It’s time to remind your politicians that they need to keep the pressure on and keep communication on this topic with the United States open.

Galway Bay FM news -
Galway MEP Lobbies Barak Obama on Undocumented Irish
Northwest MEP Sean O'Neachtain has written to Barack Obama urging him to legalise the undocumented Irish in America.

Keep it going! YES WE CAN!!!

Irish illegals issue more urgent than ever - O'Dowd

(From the Irish Times, October 11, 2008) DEAGLAN DE BREADUN, Political Correspondent


SIGNIFICANT ILLEGAL immigration of Irish people to the US has begun again, making it even more critical that a long-term solution be found to the problem, founder-member of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform Niall O'Dowd said last night.

Speaking in Dún Chaoin, Co Kerry, at the opening of the Blasket Island Foundation seminar on emigration, he said: "The Irish immigrant centres all over the US are reporting a significant surge . . . and the anecdotal evidence in Irish neighbourhoods is backing that up. We are particularly seeing the traditional type of Irish emigrant - construction workers, waitresses - who are the first to experience the effects of the Irish economic downturn.

"We already have tens of thousands of undocumented whom we are seeking to help," he added.
Mr O'Dowd said immigration reform was a divisive issue and had taken a back seat in the US election. "Given the current economic emergency it is hard to see McCain or Obama giving the issue of immigration reform any major priority if elected," he said.

This is just the beginning....

"Speaking on RTÉ radio last week, Louisburgh native, Ciarán Staunton, who is Deputy Chairperson of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) in America, said Senator McCain had reiterated his interest in resolving the issue of the undocumented in a meeting with the ILIR, at which he said that, if elected, his number one priority during his first year would be to get immigration reform.
“We’ve had great access to Senator McCain,” Mr Staunton said. “Every event we’ve invited him to over the past two years, both in Washington and in the Bronx, he has shown up at. I spent half an hour talking with him about the issue of the undocumented Irish and other Irish-American issues and he didn’t need notes or staff. He gets the issue, which is in contrast to his opponent. We have, as of yet, been unable to get Barack Obama to turn up to any of our events.”
Ciarán Staunton added that the ILIR do not endorse candidates, ‘but as of now there is certainly only one who has shown an interest’."

http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5098&Itemid=38

Irish Government grants Irish immigrant groups $1.5m

Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has announced grants of more than $1.5m for Irish immigration organisations in the USA.

The grants will go to 16 frontline Irish immigration organisations which provide support and other services to Irish emigrants. The US$1,518,500 (€1,030,500) announced today brings to US$3,163,500 the total amout granted this year to Irish immigration and community organisations in the US.

Speaking after a meeting with the community organisations in New York, the Minister said:
"The Irish immigration organisations in the US provide an invaluable service to the Irish communities there and I am delighted that we are in position once again this year to make a significant financial contribution to enable them to continue that work."

"Irish emigrant communities have over the years contributed in different ways to the economic well-being of this country. It is important now that we continue to provide financial support to organisations that work with those Irish communities in the US and elsewhere."

"The allocations that I am announcing today are to organisations that are to the forefront in providing essential frontline services to Irish communities across the US, particularly to the elderly and those in need. They also work with the undocumented Irish, whose status remains an issue of the highest priority for the Government and which I have raised with key US
legislators in the course of my visit.”

- www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0928/breaking21.htm

US to issue 20,000 one-year work visas

This a great step forward toward what we've all been hoping will happen. The doors have been opened and discussions are underway. Finally the unique Irish American relationship is being recognised and the visa issue as a whole is being discussed.

It seems that our new Toaiseach is holding true to his word of holding "visas and immigration' as priorities during his time in office.

To read the recent article in the Irish Times : http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2008/0919/1221773888183.html

Irish Times weighs in on US election

Would an Obama presidency be best for Ireland?
Kate Fitzgerald argues 'yes', Obama would benefit Ireland by reviving the economy, remaining engaged with Northern Ireland and favouring diplomacy over aggression, while Grant Lally says 'no', Barack Obama's suggestion that there might be no need for a US special envoy to Northern Ireland shows his naivety and lack of experience

Familes on move from Ireland

The Irish Independent has been following the continuing brain drain from Ireland. A story this week shows that the rate of emigration is at its highest for 20 years. The story does not say whether some of the outflow includes immigrant workers to Ireland but still, the numbers do show that Irish people are on the move again. In particular, Irish construction workers are being wooed in Canada and Australia.

Obama Reaches Out To Irish America

At last! Someone in Obama's campaign (or maybe it was the senator himself?) has reached out to the Irish American community. The Irish Voice, says that Obama has picked an "A Team" of Irish American experts to do just that.

Obama had foolishly left that role to Ms Trina Vargo who heads up the US-Ireland Alliance. That was a ridiculously bad move for Obama given that one of Vargo's first efforts included a statement suggesting that an Obama administration would abolish the post of US special envoy to the North of Ireland.The statement caused uproar in the Irish American community which worked so hard to secure the posting, a role which has helped maintain the fragile peace in the North. It also pried open a doorway for Senator John McCain to take advantage of the Irish American vote.

Now, the "A Team" includes such stalwart Irish Americans as Senators George Mitchell (retired, Maine), Chris Dodd (Connecticut), Edward Kennedy (Massachusetts) and Pat Leahy (Vermont), Governor Martin O’Malley of Maryland and Congressmen Joe Crowley (New York) and Richard Neal (Massachusetts).Where does this all leave Ms Vargo?

We fervently hope she is removed from any position where she has the power to influence Irish American policy. Those of us who toil in the world of immigration reform are well aware of Ms Vargo's contempt for the Irish - despite the fact that her work is funded by the Irish taxpayer

A Fresh Approach and a Thumbs up for Taoiseach Cowen

The Irish Echo in New York published an article today outlining Toaiseach Cowen's visit and on the ILIR's response to their meetings with him. Things are most certainly looking positive. On behalf of you all I'd like to thank Mr Cowen for his forward thinking and dedication.

Here are just a couple of quotes from the article:

"Cowen pledged to make the visa and immigration issue a priority for his government. Speaking at the reception in the lobby of the Park Avenue building that houses the consulate, Cowen said that "this issue is a priority for me in the months and years ahead."

"...meeting prompted what an ILIR statement described as a "a hearty
thumbs-up" for the new taoiseach. ILIR vice-chairman, Ciaran Staunton, said Cowen had ushered in a new era in the Irish American relationship."

""We have a responsibility to continue to lobby and do so as effectively as we possibly can," he said. And he said the Irish government was prepared to look at a "reciprocal" visa arrangement with the U.S. "We can perhaps be more proactive on our side in making sure that more Americans, who want to come and visit and work in Ireland, get the chance to do so as well."

Read the full article here:
http://www.irishecho.com/search/searchstory.cfm?id=18777&issueid=586

Taoiseach in New York

I'm back (that is Kate). Sorry for my short absence but I will be back giving you updates on what's going on with the ILIR and the campaign to find a resolution for our friends and families over in the States.

Here's a run down on what's been going on and what has been said in the last 48 hours -

Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen met with the ILIR this week in New York and announced his support for our campaign.

He spoke out on the plight of the undocumented Irish saying; "It's a priority for our administration to try and sort this out." Mr Cowen is determined that his administration will succeed where successive administrations have failed - in regularizing and improving immigration ties between Ireland and America.

This is welcome good news for the ILIR campaign and we have copied and pasted some of the week's reports.

Later, we will also send out an mp3 from Newstalk Radio in Ireland which featured a hard-hittng interview with ILIR vice-chairman Ciaran Staunton.

Taoiseach signals new campaign on illegalsIrish Times, Ireland - 15 hours agoTHE TAOISEACH, Brian Cowen, yesterday signalled that the Government would be launching a new drive to resolve the issue of the undocumented Irish in the US. ...

Government to consider deal for undocumentedRTE.ie, Ireland - 19 hours agoThe Government is considering a special deal that would see Ireland easing restrictions on US immigrants in return for concessions on the undocumented Irish ...

Cowen 'more genuine in commitment to illegal Irish'Irish Independent, Ireland - 9 hours agoThe Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform in the US says it believes Brian Cowen is more genuine in his commitment to helping illegal Irish immigrants than his ...

Cowen in visa bid to resolve emigrant plightIrish Independent, Ireland - 12 hours agoBy Fionnan Sheahan in New York TAOISEACH Brian Cowen wants to grant more visas to Americans to come to Ireland as a way to resolve the plight of illegal ...

Joe Duffy hit by wingnut brigade

My blood is boiling after listening to the bunch of self-righteous horrors who called in to the Joe Duffy show this week. Not one of the self-satisfied callers - many of whom had been in the US themselves - had any sympathy for a man called Gareth who was deported from the US after 20 years.

They also seemed to have very little knowledge of the current visa situation - one woman was labouring under the illusion that there was an amnesty (yes, Philomena, there was, but it happened in the early 1980s long before the new Irish began going to the US.)

Some other man said that being an undocumented immigrant was like breaking into a person's house. Another man actually said he would advocate the death penalty if that's what the US wanted.

Thankfully, Celine Kennelly, the Executive Director of the Irish Immigration Pastoral Center, was at home for her sister's wedding and called in. If not for Celine, the whole show would have been taken over by those vicious people who called in.

Celine also nailed the myths that the undocumented Irish could have sorted themselves out by now. As Celine pointed out there is no way for people to do that. Celine also added that they are seeing more and more people coming through the centres - higher numbers than have been seen in recent years.

Click here to hear the show

More bad news on jobs front in Ireland

Funny; I had just posted yesterday when someone sent me a link to this story.
No surprise to some of us but it seems as if the Independent has only just learned that there's a lot of us struggling to stay afloat these days.
The story says that 25 per cent of the current jobs are expected to be lost in construction.
And where do you think people are going to go? London's not the big magnet people think it is because the cost of living is fierce expensive. I know people spending 500 sterling A WEEK for accommodation there. Compare that with 500 dollars A MONTH for a flat in the Bronx and the numbers soon start to add up.
And those numbers mean an increase in undocumented Irish in the US.
Making a bad problem worse.

Queuing for a Living

I left school in 1982 so I know what a recession looks like - Wonder if this picture is a clue on what's happening here again? My brother-in-law was doing his plumbing apprenticeship in FAS in Louth and Monaghan until three months ago when he got laid off. He's talking about joining HIS brother in New York. His brother's been in NYC since 1996 and he can get him work in construction. My brother-in-law's said he'd be making up his mind soon. He's out of work now for 14 weeks. Can't get anything here.

Sarah Joins the 33rd County

Hi there - I am a new addition to the blogging family here on The 33rd County. My name's Sarah and I live in Co Westmeath. I have two brothers and two sisters in New York. Two of them got Morrisons and the other two didn't so you can imagine how this affects our family. I got involved in the blog because I kept posting comments - Kate's asked me to give it a go, so you'll know all my posts because they'll be signed Sarah.

A Major Boost for Our Friends and Family

I can happily report that I just received some great news from the ILIR. Following the changing of the guard in the Irish government Taoiseach Cowen has started his new career on an excellent note.

Unfortunately this week there was also bad news about Senator Edward Kennedy's health. The Friends and Family of the Undocumented send him our best and wish him a speedy recovery.

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Taoiseach Brian Cowen Meets ILIR Chairman Niall O'Dowd: The Irish Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, met with the Chairman of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, Niall O'Dowd, this week in Dublin for an hour-long meeting on the plight of the undocumented Irish in the US.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr O'Dowd described it as "very positive," and said it was clear that Mr Cowen is totally committed to helping the undocumented Irish. Mr Cowen said he will be visiting the US soon and intends to meet with the ILIR and people from the community.

He told Mr O'Dowd that he wants to hear first-hand from those most affected by the situation.Mr Cowen noted that he had worked in the US as a student and understood the impact on the Irish American community. We will keep you posted on any new developments in relation to the Taoiseach's visit to the US.

Prayers for Senator Edward Kennedy: Senator Edward Kennedy, 76, who was diagnosed with brain cancer on Tuesday, is in our thoughts this week. His commitment to securing comprehensive immigration reform has made him a hero in our community. Senator Kennedy is a real giant of the Senate. He put immigration reform on the map and has worked tirelessly to try and ensure that undocumented immigrants are not exploited and find a fair way to ensure they can stay here legally.

Without his work this issue would not even be on the radar. He attended three of our ILIR rallies and his impassioned words in defense of the undocumented will stay with us for a long time. He's been an enormous friend to undocumented Irish as well as every single Irish person who's ever set foot in the United States.

We wish him the best in his battle against his illness and we are certain that if anyone can recover from this illness he can.

Wishing you a peaceful Memorial Day Weekend,
warm regards,
Kelly Fincham, Executive Director, ILIR