Posted on 12/26/2007, 8:46:47 PM by Nickname
The Irish government is seeking a separate peace for its own people in the American immigration debate after the death of a bill last summer that would have created a path to legal status for millions of illegal immigrants, including tens of thousands of Irish.
Modeled on a recent arrangement with Australia, a deal to create a new set of work visas for Irish immigrants would likely come in the form of a bilateral treaty between America and Ireland linked to the recent success of the peace process in Northern Ireland.
Irish officials have signaled that they were attempting to convince the Bush administration to make the visas available for Irish who have immigrated illegally. That would be a departure from the deal reached with Australia.
Not all in the Irish community are applauding Ireland's entry into the American immigration fray, however. Instead, the possibility of a deal has set off a conflict between those who see the effort as a way to move the immigration debate forward, and those who worry that giving Irish illegal immigrants opportunities that Mexicans and others lack would be discriminatory and unfair.
(Excerpt) Read more at nysun.com ...
At least later on in the article we meet a few who get it....
"But a group of old-timers gathered on benches outside of Sean's Quality Deli shook their heads at the idea.
"We came in the front door," Leo Keirins, who came to Woodlawn from Sleigo, Ireland 42 years ago, said. "They're back and forth with bags of money, one foot there, one foot back in Ireland. It's not right."
These guys do not respect our country any more than the ones from the Mexican swim team. The law means nothing to them. It’s all about them.
Regards
An illegal by any other name is still a criminal.
Get-in-line.
#1. There is a front door. Use it.
#2. Any agreement should be reciprocal.
so they have tens of thousands of irish immigrants? Can we have them? We could have a mexican 1,000 -for-1 sale. What a bargain
Ireland ping!
Deport them to Mexico. They have a prior history of joining the Mexican San Patricios to fight against the US. It would allow East Coast Irish Americans to go on cheap Mexican vacations and visit relatives at the same time.
Agree!
My paternal and maternal grandparents came from Counties Donegal and Cork, respectively, around 1900. Before arriving they had to have a sponsor, a job lined up; and they gave up THEIR national language - the Irish Gaelic.
NO FREAKING BACK DOORS FOR ANY ONE!
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