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« Previous Entries Next Entries »Undocumented resolution unlikely: Ahern
Thursday, February 7th, 2008The Taoiseach dealt with a number of issues related to emigration, and particularly the undocumented in the US, during question time in the Dail yesterday. He said that a bilateral agreement that would allow Irish and American citizens to travel and work between the two countries was on hold for political reasons. Mr Ahern also noted that most of the existing models for bilateral agreements would not take care of those who were already undocumented.
Speaking about his upcoming visit to Washington, Mr Ahern said:
There is a strong sense in Washington that immigration reform will remain a difficult issue for the foreseeable future. While US political leaders fully acknowledge that the number of undocumented Irish is extremely small in the overall context, there is an understandable reluctance to single out one particular group for preferential treatment, and therein lies the difficulty. I do not believe anyone is against our cause, but when taken in its totality they cannot deal with it. We will, of course, continue our efforts for as long as it takes, and I shall certainly work on it again next month at the meetings that I will have.
See the Dail report under the heading “Ireland-US relations”.
Latest Ean newsletter published
Monday, February 4th, 2008In the latest edition of the Ean newsletter, we focus on returning gay emigrants and the potential impact of civil partnerships in enabling them to return. We also take a look at the implications of the upcoming shut-down of RTE’s medium-wave services. Plus there’s the usual roundup of news and events – and as always, we’d love to hear any feedback on any issues affecting emigrants.
Irishman’s death related to his undocumented status?
Friday, February 1st, 2008A Boston journalist has written a moving tribute to an undocumented immigrant who died in the US city at the age of 33.
Kevin Cullen says, “Eddie Treacy lived in the shadows and died in his bed, the covers pulled up, his lungs full of fluid.” The Athenry native had arrived in Dorchester eight years ago. He was a talented carpenter who loved hurling and would spend after-work time at the Eire Pub.
Cullen writes:
We will never know if it was stubborn pride or a fear of being deported that kept him from going to a hospital to treat the pneumonia that killed him. Maybe he just didn’t realize how sick he was.
After the funeral, he says,
about 200 people posed on the front steps of the church for a photo to send back to Eddie’s mother, Ann, so she would know that Eddie mattered here.
Cullen concludes:
On Monday night, as President Bush told the nation that we need to find “a sensible and humane way to deal with people here illegally,” Eddie Treacy’s body was in the cargo hold of Aer Lingus Flight 132, somewhere over the Atlantic, heading home.
The article was also published in the Irish Times.
Read the entire article on the Boston Globe website.
New influx into US, say centres
Thursday, January 31st, 2008Irish immigration centres in the US are reporting that there has been an increase in new arrivals from Ireland, according to a report in last week’s Irish Voice newspaper. The paper interviewed Irish centres in Boston, New York, and San Francisco, and all have reported a rise in the number of recently arrived people seeking their services.
Orla Kelleher of the Aisling Centre called the increase in numbers “a huge turnaround”. The new arrivals tend to be in their early to mid-twenties, and men and women are coming in equal numbers. Most of them are from the north, northwest and west of Ireland. Most of them are arriving with at least one friend, and sometimes in groups.
Kelleher says most of the women have degrees and are looking for work in hospitality, and most of the men are in trades and looking for construction work. She notes, worryingly, that few are worried about the consequences of overstaying their three-month legal stay.
Irish immigrant in NY fights extradition
Monday, January 28th, 2008A County Louth native is fighting extradition from the US. Joe Byrne, a resident of Pearl River, New York, is facing an extradition warrant filed by the Director of Public Prosecution in Ireland. Authorities there allege he was involved in two robberies over ten years ago. Mr Byrne was questioned by gardai in 1997 over the case, in which £8,200 was stolen from a pub; at that time, he was released without charge. Shortly after, he moved to the US, met his wife, Eileen, and received a green card; on the application, he admitted that he had been questioned in the case and provided a reference from the gardai in Dundalk.
In July 2006, however, he was arrested by FBI agents on the warrant from the Irish authorities. Last fall, a court in New York decided against him.
His extradition was originally scheduled to take place before 29th of January, but the Department of State has agreed to put off the extradition until at least next month.
Mr Byrne’s wife, Eileen, told the Irish Emigrant that she fears for his life were he to be extradited, saying the main person involved in the robbery was a known member of the INLA.
The Ancient Order of Hibernians is supporting a petition campaign to stop the extradition.
Read the full story in the Irish Emigrant.
View the petition to stop the extradition.
DFA launches charter, registration facility
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008The Department of Foreign Affairs has launched two new services on its website, aimed at those travelling or resident overseas. The two services are:
- a Consular Services Charter for citizens, called “Travel Safely, Slán Abhaile” – a document setting out the range of services provided by embassies and consulates abroad, as well as advice on steps to take before travelling abroad.
- an online travel registration facility for Irish people resident or travelling abroad – aimed particularly at those travelling to remote or dangerous locations, and at improving the DFA’s capacity to locate Irish citizens caught in a major crisis or family emergency.
In launching the services, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said,
As people travel more frequently, the demand for our Consular services has increased….This new service will significantly improve our capacity to locate and connect with Irish citizens caught up in a crisis and to get assistance to them. It also will improve our ability to provide timely and accurate information to their relatives in Ireland.
He added that the DFA’s approach to consular assistance
is interventionist and places the welfare of Irish citizens in need at its core. Officers of the Department at home and abroad repeatedly display a willingness to go the extra mile and deliver on that commitment. I know from my own direct dealings with people in difficulty and their families that this is greatly appreciated. Last year alone, the Department of Foreign Affairs provided direct assistance in over 130 cases of deaths abroad.
Irish people made nearly eight million trips abroad last year. ‘Travel Safely, Slán Abhaile’ will be distributed widely through public libraries, schools, universities and colleges, travel agents, citizen information centres and at missions abroad.
See the press release for more information.
See the Travel Registration page on the DFA website.
See the Consular Services Charter on the DFA website.
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