Irish on move again for immigrant rights

The campaign on behalf of Irish immigrants in the United States is back on the trail, after a presidential election season that derailed hopes for comprehensive immigration reform in the last couple of years.

The Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform kicked off its renewed campaign with a gathering of a couple hundred people last night in Canton, south of Boston, at the Irish Cultural Centre of New England.

ILIR President Ciaran Staunton says on the lobby's website: "ILIR wants 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."

Former Congressman Bruce Morrison, who now consults to the Irish lobby, explained one option that Irish immigrants hope could provide an avenue to legal residence and citizenship. That is the proposed E-3 visa, which Congress has created for 10,500 Australians each year. The E-3 program took effect last year, and the visa is valid for two years. It would be harder to duplicate such a program for the Irish living illegally in America because Ireland is part of the European Union, and could not negotiate a separate treaty as Australia did. But it's not inconceivable, given the strong and deep Irish roots in the United States.

The lobby acknowledges that the election season generated so much emotion over immigration that there was little chance of a constructive conversation last year. The omnibus bill sponsored by Senators Edward Kennedy and John McCain collapsed in late 2007.

Now, with a new administration in place, the ILIR is knocking on doors again. Staunton, who cofounded the ILIR in 2005 and is a longtime fighter for the Irish community in the United States, headed from Boston to Washington today to meet with legislators there.