McGinn ‘cautiously optimistic’ about undocumented Irish living in USA
Sinn Féin Newry and Mourne Councillor Pat McGinn has said that there was a “cautious optimism” in relation to the recent moves on immigration reform in the USA.
The Councillor, commenting as Irish people throughout the world celebrated St Patrick’s Day, welcomed the recent bipartisan discussions regarding US Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
McGinn stated, “An unintended consequence of the 1965 US Immigration and Nationality Act has been that little or no scope has existed for legal migration from Ireland to the US.
“There is hope that this wrong will be righted in 2013 and the flow of migration between our countries will be reinstated,” said the Councillor who has spent many years highlighting the issue of the Undocumented Irish living in the USA.
“Many undocumented Irish migrants are already paying taxes and making social security contributions. All are keen to regularize their immigration situation and to contribute as best they can to US society, as previous generations of Irish migrants have likewise done.
“There is I believe an emphatic commitment to producing a comprehensive immigration reform Bill in the very near future. It seems very promising, most of those working for the Irish American Community that I be in contact with tell me that there is a “cautious optimism”.
The Sinn Féin elected representative concluded by stating that he and many others were committed to doing what they could to address the issue.
“I support and encourage President Obama, Senator Schumer, Senator McCain and the ‘Group of Eight’s’ proposals for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
McGinn added, “I along with all those who are working to highlight and address the plight of the undocumented Irish living in the USA, am committed to make sure that this is the last generation of Irish in America that has to listen to a family member’s funeral on the telephone.
“It is our goal that this is the last generation of Irish to be undocumented in America.”
Short URL: https://newrytimes.com/?p=29814