US President calls for reform in address
Wednesday, January 24th, 2007US President George Bush included a call for comprehensive immigration reform in his State of the Union address last night. He said:
Extending hope and opportunity in our country requires an immigration system worthy of America, with laws that are fair and borders that are secure. When laws and borders are routinely violated, this harms the interests of our country. To secure our border, we’re doubling the size of the Border Patrol and funding new infrastructure and technology.
Yet even with all these steps, we cannot fully secure the border unless we take pressure off the border, and that requires a temporary worker program. We should establish a legal and orderly path for foreign workers to enter our country to work on a temporary basis. As a result, they won’t have to try to sneak in, and that will leave border agents free to chase down drug smugglers and criminals and terrorists. We’ll enforce our immigration laws at the worksite, and give employers the tools to verify the legal status of their workers, so there’s no excuse left for violating the law. We need to uphold the great tradition of the melting pot that welcomes and assimilates new arrivals. We need to resolve the status of the illegal immigrants who are already in our country, without animosity and without amnesty.
Convictions run deep in this Capitol when it comes to immigration. Let us have a serious, civil, and conclusive debate so that you can pass, and I can sign, comprehensive immigration reform into law.
Argentine navy to honor Irish founder with visit
Tuesday, January 16th, 2007The Argentine navy’s tall ship, the Libertad, will visit Ireland in June as part of the celebrations commemorating the 150th anniversary of the death of Admiral William Brown. The crew will visit Foxford, Co. Mayo, the birthplace of the founder of the Argentine navy, during their ten-day visit to Ireland.
The ship will conduct a salute off the Mayo coast around June 17, according to the Western People. It will then dock in Galway, Dublin and Cork.
The Admiral William Brown Society is planning a number of commemorative events marking the anniversary. Admiral Brown was born in Foxford in 1777; after emigrating to Argentina he fought in several wars and eventually founded their navy. He is celebrated as a hero in Argentina and this year’s events are likely to raise his profile in Ireland.
The full story is on the Western People website.
Diaspora centre a future tourist attraction?
Tuesday, January 16th, 2007Minister for Tourism John O’Donoghue has suggested he would support an tourist attraction that would tell Ireland’s emigration story.
“I would accept there is a case for a new attraction such as an Irish diaspora centre, based on something like the Ellis Island museum in New York”, he is quoted as saying in the Sunday Times. Mr O’Donoghue made the remarks as he discussed raising Ireland’s tourism potential through the development of cultural and tourism centres.
Read the entire article at the Sunday Times website.
Church marks World Day of Migrants and Refugees
Monday, January 15th, 2007Yesterday was the Catholic Church’s 93rd World Day of Migrants and Refugees, and this year’s theme was “the migrant family”.
Éan Board Chair Rr Alan Hilliard gets prominent coverage in the Irish Times with remarks calling for the reunification of families. Fr Hilliard, who is also the secretary of the Irish Catholic bishop’s department of pastoral care, is quoted in the report as saying, “Immigration policy should be about people first. Migrants by their nature live far away from those they love. Often this is due to economic necessity, and this in turn can be compounded by restrictive immigration laws.”
He adds, “Currently in Ireland there are over 100 Catholic religious services for the pastoral support of our immigrant communities. The provision of these religious services, which show respect for the language and customs of the immigrant, is an important initiative to cultivate a spirit of welcome and to facilitate the journey to integration.”
Pope Benedict issued a statement to mark the day; it is available on the Vatican website.
Trade delegation to include visit with expats
Monday, January 15th, 2007Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will meet with some of the 1,000 Irish expats living in Saudi Arabia during his visit there this week, according to the Irish Times. Mr Ahern is making an official visit, accompanied by about 170 people on a business delegation organised by Enterprise Ireland. The group, which will also go to Dubai, includes the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment; the Minister for Education and Science; and the Minister for Agriculture and Food.
Enterprise the answer for older car renters?
Monday, January 15th, 2007Maximum age limits on car rentals can be a major impediment to older emigrants who would like to return home for a visit, Sheila Gleeson of the Coalition for Irish Immmigration Centers in the US has told your correspondent.
Éan has done some research on this, and it seems that this type of discrimination is actually legal, as insurance companies may discriminate on an age basis as long as they can claim it is for commercial reasons.
We have discovered, however, that Enterprise Rent-A-Car has no upper age limit, and does not impose an insurance surcharge on older renters.
Hertz will rent to drivers up to the age of 79 if the driver has:
– a letter from a doctor to say he or she has been in good health for the last year
– a letter from the driver’s insurance company saying he or she has not been in an accident for the last five years.
Alamo and National rent cars to those up to 74.
Europcar rents only up to 70.
Avis age limits range from 65 to 74, depending on the type of car.
More information on maximum car rentals is available at about.com.
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