Immigration debate taken to Ellis Island

Immigration debate taken to Ellis Island
SAN JOSE'S REP. LOFGREN LEADS HEARING
By Frank Davies -- MediaNews / Washington Bureau / San Jose Mercury News

NEW YORK - In the historic Great Hall of Ellis Island, where 12 million immigrants once trudged through to build a nation, top government officials Friday tried to recharge a campaign to solve the modern dilemmas of immigration.

Bush administration security officials, including Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar, along with a historian, demographer, economist and former officials grappled with the biggest problem: what to do with 12 million people - the estimated number of illegal immigrants in the country now.

"This magnificent building reminds us of what made America, and it's a great place to begin our discussion," said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, the San Jose Democrat who decided to take the House immigration subcommittee to the epicenter of the nation's immigration story.

Lofgren, chair of the subcommittee since January, and other congressional Democrats want to push through a comprehensive immigration bill this year to improve border security, establish a guest-worker program and find a way to legalize the status of most undocumented workers.

`This is the year'

That's a huge task for such a contentious, complex issue. The Bush administration supports the effort, but most congressional Republicans resist it, and were able to block a major bill in the House last year after the Senate passed it.

"This is the year - it has to happen this year because it won't next year" during presidential and congressional campaigns, Lofgren said.

Two administration officials - Aguilar and Igor Timofeyev, director of immigration at the Homeland Security Department - gave a boost to comprehensive reform, without debating the details.

Aguilar claimed improved security measures contributed to a 30 percent reduction last year in illegal entries across the Mexican border.

"Well-defined immigration reform would help us concentrate on the people really trying to do us harm," Aguilar said. "The chaotic conditions now create opportunities for terrorists and criminals."

READ FULL SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS ARTICLE

Out of Ireland to feature Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform's March 7 National Lobby Day and Rally this week

Out of Ireland will be broadcasting highlights from the March 7 Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform National Lobby Day and Rally in Washington this coming week.

The feature will air in New York on WLIW Ch.21, Sunday (04/01) at 5.00pm and on Monday (04/02) at 11.30pm.

The program will also air on PBS stations across the US - for dates/times check local listings.

Immigration Reform Supporters front and center at Congressional immigration hearing on Ellis Island

This photo is from the New York Times. The Tmes reports, "[T]ourists of all complexions gawked from the sidelines, and an audience of immigrant activists let their T-shirts do the talking — “Legalize the Irish” and “I Love Immigrant N.Y.” They sat on the same benches where years ago anxious immigrants waited to be called for inspection."

READ FULL NEW YORK TIMES REPORT

READ CONTRA COSTA TIMES REPORT

The Hill: Senators, evangelicals embrace immigration reform

Senators, evangelicals embrace immigration reform
By Sam Youngman
March 29, 2007

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) joined a group of Democratic senators and evangelical leaders in calling for action on comprehensive immigration reform.

Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), along with Graham, all argued that the immigration issue, which they said should include some sort of guest-worker program, is a moral one.

Graham said the country has broken borders, and when it comes to addressing illegal immigration, a broken Congress.

“But I see hope,” Graham said.

Kennedy said he is confident there will be discussion of a reform package that contains a guest-worker program, adding this could “hopefully” begin within the next work period.

On issues like border security and enforcement, Kennedy said Democrats and Republicans had reached “broad agreement.”

Few would dispute, though, that there continue to exist a number of contentious points of disagreement.

The bipartisan group of senators was joined by the House sponsors of immigration reform introduced last week, Reps. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.).

The lawmakers were also flanked by a group of Hispanic evangelical leaders and Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Church.

READ ARTICLE AT THE HILL WEBSITE

Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform supporters visit Ellis Island

The view from inside the main hall at Ellis Island, where the House Subcommittee on Immigration will hold a hearing on immigration Friday morning.

Intrepid New York supporters of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform who travelled across the country to make their presence known at so many anti-reform hearings last summer, look forward to attending a the Subcommittee hearing so close to home.

NPR report on the Immigration Hearing

excerpts from Los Angeles Times: White House works behind the scenes for immigration reform

The administration has been meeting with key Republican senators to devise a consensus plan aimed at garnering wide GOP support.
By Nicole Gaouette, Times Staff Writer
March 29, 2007

WASHINGTON — With President Bush looking to counter a legacy increasingly marred by the war in Iraq, the White House has launched a bold, behind-the-scenes drive to advance a key domestic goal: immigration reform.

For a month, White House staffers and Cabinet members have met three to four times a week with influential Republican senators and aides to hash out a consensus plan designed to draw a significant number of GOP votes.

With that effort largely completed, Republicans were hoping to present their proposal Wednesday to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), who would lead the Democrats in any attempt to move a bill through the Senate...

Time is short, though. Immigration is one of the few areas where the Democratic Congress sees eye to eye with the lame-duck president, but strains between the two are likely to worsen as the 2008 election nears.

Though public work on an immigration overhaul appeared to have slowed, momentum simply moved behind closed doors...

The White House has focused its energy on the Senate, which plans to move first. If the Senate can pass a bipartisan bill with strong Republican backing, it could give conservative Republicans and moderate Democrats in the House the political cover to vote for it.

The Republican strategy sessions, held in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, have typically included Gutierrez, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, White House personnel, six to 10 senators and various aides. Republicans with real differences on immigration are taking part...

Details of the Republican plan have not been released, but some of the proposals are known. Some illegal immigrants would be given legal status through an infinitely renewable "Z visa." Those who want to become U.S. citizens would have to leave the country and return legally. A guest worker program would be created that does not allow participants to bring family members, remain in the U.S. or become citizens. And, to ensure that employers can check on whether job applicants are legal, databases at Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration would be linked...

READ FULL ARTICLE

Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform supporters will attend the House hearing on immigration at Ellis Island on Friday, 3/30/07

Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform supporters will walk in the footsteps of Annie Moore and thousands of other Irish immigrants Friday morning as they visit Ellis Island to attend a scheduled Congressional hearing on immigration.

The hearing, sponsored by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law, is scheduled for Friday, March 30, 2007 at 11:00am and will focus on Historic and Personal Reflections on American Immigration, Past, Present, and Future.

Irish immigrants have played a large role American Immigration's past, continue this tradition in American Immigration's present, and with the hard work of Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform volunteers, the Irish will remain a vital part of American Immigration's future.

Directions to Ellis Island

HEAR MORE ABOUT ANNIE MOORE'S LIFE

READ UP ON THE STRIVE ACT

READ A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE STRIVE ACT

READ A MORE DETAILED SUMMARY OF THE STRIVE ACT

READ THE STRIVE ACT

Pick up the phone and call Congress NOW:

On March 22nd, the STRIVE Act was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressmen Guttierez (D-IL) and Flake (R-AZ), finally getting the immigration debate underway for 2007!

To get the STRIVE Act through the House, more bipartisan support is needed.

YOU need to pick up the phone today and tomorrow (March 28th & 29th), and contact your elected official in Congress to urge them to support the bipartisan STRIVE Act.

Call 1-800-417-7666 and follow the instructions to connect with your Congressional Representative.

Tell them - We NEED COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM NOW!

Tell them - You want them vote YES on the STRIVE Act .

Make your voice heard. The future of the undocumented Irish in America is at stake.

Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform Supporters working hard on both sides of the Atlantic:

Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform supports the introduction of a bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform legislation by Representatives Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Luis Gutierrez (D-IL). Their proposal, known as the STRIVE (Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy) bill, opens the path to comprehensive immigration reform.

The Irish Lobby for Immgration Reform looks forward to the introduction of a similar bill in the Senate and the eventual passage of comprehensive immigration reform legislation this year.

IN AMERICA:
Wednesday and Thursday (March 28th and 29th) -- Join the National Phone-In Day with the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

Call 1-800-417-7666 and follow the instructions to connect to the office of your Representative in Congress.

Once connected, tell your Representative that the country needs workable immigration reform now.

IN IRELAND:
Call your friends and family and ecourage them to attend the upcoming Dublin meeting for family and friends of the Irish undocumented in America. The meeting is scheduled for Saturday April 14th from1pm-4pm in Jurys Hotel, Ballsbridge, Dublin.

For further details, those interested in attending should contact the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform by phone at 086 123 6179 or by email at ilirireland@gmail.com.

Washington Post editorial: Bill sounds the opening bell for real immigration reform

A bill in the House sounds the opening bell for real reform.
Monday, March 26, 2007; A14

THE BATTLE over immigration reform was joined in Congress last week with the introduction of sweeping legislation that would toughen enforcement, tighten border controls and provide eventual citizenship for millions who entered the country illegally. That the opening legislative salvo came in the House, where real reform went nowhere in the last Congress, and that the bill has bipartisan sponsors generated fresh optimism that the broken-down immigration system may be replaced by a workable one. The optimism will be justified, though, only if the White House, which has been trying to coax a consensus on immigration from divided Republican lawmakers, sticks to its guns and fashions a blueprint for action that is both practical and comprehensive.

The House bill, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican, and Luis V. Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat, is a sound starting point for the debate. It should appeal to Republicans concerned about enforcement and border security, whose support will be needed in both houses of Congress. And it should also be attractive to Democrats determined to provide a pathway to citizenship for the 12 million illegal immigrants already here and for future immigrants who will enter the country on legal work visas.

Thick as a phone book, the bill is similar in structure, and in some details, to one introduced in the last Congress by Sens. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), with whom Mr. Flake and Mr. Gutierrez worked closely last year. For immigration hawks, there is plenty to like: Before the bill's citizenship provisions kick in, stringent new standards on workplace enforcement and border security would have to be satisfied. They include a major build-up in personnel and technology monitoring the nation's border. In addition, the legislation requires tougher penalties for a range of immigration-related crimes and the creation of a system whereby employers can electronically verify that employees and job applicants are authorized to work here.

The bill would require immigrants here illegally to cross a border and then reenter the country legally -- in theory on the same day, or even within hours -- thereby "rebooting" and legitimizing their status at any time within six years. This is a political fig leaf that will allow immigration hawks to claim a symbolic victory, but it will be a Pyrrhic victory if it establishes a system so onerous or risky that immigrants simply decide it isn't worth it and remain in the shadows. For now, the bill's sponsors affirm that the "rebooting" requirement will be sufficiently flexible and common-sensical -- providing waivers for single parents, for instance, and allowing heads of household to "reboot" on behalf of their families -- that most illegal immigrants will comply.

Conservatives opposed to citizenship for illegal immigrants are fond of pillorying it as "amnesty." This bill provides nothing of the sort. In addition to requiring lawful reentry to the country, it would entail immigrants paying a $2,000 fine and any back taxes they owe, clearing a security and background check, learning English and civics, compiling a felony-free record, and submitting proof of past employment. Only after six years and after satisfying those requirements could workers apply for permanent residency status, which could lead to citizenship.

The Senate, which proved much more receptive to realistic immigration reform than the House last year, has so far produced no legislation this session, despite pledges from Mr. Kennedy and Mr. McCain that they remain intent on doing so. As the Bush administration continues to plug away with Republicans, it realizes that time is short; any bill up for debate too late this year will be at risk of succumbing to the passions engendered by next winter's presidential primaries.

President Bush will have precious few chances to add to his domestic policy legacy before he leaves office. Immigration reform may be his last, best hope. The moment for pushing is now.

READ AT WASHINGTON POST WEBSITE

Los Angeles Times Editorial: "Anti-reform members of Congress are running out of excuses..."

Ambivalent immigration anniversary
A year after 500,000 people marched downtown, Congress is trying again to pass comprehensive reform.
March 25, 2007

ONE YEAR AGO TODAY, more than half a million people gathered peacefully in downtown Los Angeles, stunning the country and igniting a productive (if occasionally shrill) debate about how to bring U.S. immigration policy in line with reality.

Now it's up to Congress and President Bush to finish what those marchers started. The demonstrators were protesting a grossly punitive immigration bill in the House of Representatives and asking for a legal path out of the shadow economy. Immigration restrictionists, who until that moment held the upper hand in the debate, were rendered nearly speechless at the sight of so many families cheerfully spreading a message of upbeat inclusion.

The Senate reacted to the ensuing season of protest by laboriously cobbling together a series of immigration packages that, while flawed, at least combined visa reform and a legalization process with enforcement.

But the bills fell prey to election-year populism and a lack of political will to tackle a complex problem, leaving the country with unrealistic visa allotments and an estimated 12 million people living outside the law. Overwhelmed (and overexcited) local governments jumped in where Congress failed to tread, passing a patchwork of in-state tuition laws, legals-only housing codes and taxes on remittances to Mexico.

Then last week, Reps. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Luis V. Gutierrez (D-Ill.) introduced a promising, comprehensive bill that includes border and workplace enforcement, a guest-worker program and a more simple path to legalization than was being proposed last year.

Undocumented residents under the bill would be required to "touch back" to a port of entry before applying, with some exceptions. It's a largely symbolic measure worth accepting if applicants are processed promptly.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) also plans to introduce legislation similar to the 2005 bill he cosponsored with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Some Senate Republicans are considering more enforcement-oriented bills that look to be unpalatable to Democrats.

The president, who has made immigration reform his last ambitious domestic project, should continue pressing for a comprehensive package to be passed this year.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and other administration officials have rightly placed immigration reform near the top of their legislative agendas.

Chertoff has a good story to tell enforcement-centric representatives: Border crossings have declined, thanks to thousands of new National Guard troops and Border Patrol agents. The notorious "catch-and-release" policy of giving apprehended border crossers a court date and letting them walk free has all but ended everywhere except in the interior of the country. Visa-processing backlogs also have been slashed.

Anti-reform members of Congress are running out of excuses to act. The odds remain long, but now is the best chance to give lasting meaning to the march of one year ago.

READ AT LOS ANGELES TIMES WEBSITE

Irish Times: Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern Welcomes US immigration Bill

Last Updated: 23/03/2007 13:21
Ahern welcomes US immigration bill

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has welcomed an immigration bill in the United States that he said would regularise the status of thousands of undocumented Irish immigrants there.

The bill - which was introduced in the House of Representatives yesterday - seeks to combine tough border security and workplace enforcement measures with other programmes that the authors said will end the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States. introduction bill marks a significant advance Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern

"Rather than . . . targeting Windex-wielding cleaning ladies, or wasting millions of dollars on failed strategies of the past, our bill offers real solutions," said Representative Luis Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat.

The bill would create a new conditional non-immigrant status for millions of illegal immigrants with a visa that would let them work and live in the country while they seek permanent status and eventual citizenship.

Mr Ahern said: "Although the legislative situation is fluid and the final outcome uncertain, the introduction of the bipartisan bill in the House marks a significant advance in the debate." Dermot Ahern

In an effort to head off opposition from some conservative Republicans and others who said similar legislation last year was an amnesty that rewarded illegal behaviour, bipartisan sponsors pointed to requirements such as paying fines, taxes and learning English.

READ FULL REPORT

Washington Post reports on the new bipartisan immigration reform proposal in the House

Immigration Reform Revisited
Bipartisan Bill in House Includes Guest-Worker Program
By Darryl Fears
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 23, 2007;
A02

A bipartisan proposal for comprehensive immigration reform that would allow millions of illegal immigrants to participate in a guest-worker program and possibly gain citizenship was introduced in the House yesterday, the first to be submitted since Democrats took control of Congress this year.

The proposal from Reps. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Luis V. Gutierrez (D-Ill.) is a far cry from a measure passed by the Republican-controlled House in 2005 that focused on tough enforcement actions to reduce illegal immigration. The House bill died in a conference committee along with a competing Senate bill that was similar to the Flake-Gutierrez proposal.

Flake said the legislation is needed because current laws have failed to seal the border and to stop the hiring of illegal workers. "This bill addresses that problem by bolstering border security, increasing interior enforcement, and creating a temporary worker program that's enforceable and fair," he said.

Gutierrez acknowledged that opponents of guest-worker programs inside and outside the House will try to pick the bill apart. "I know that there are those out there already revving up their fax machines, ready to malign and mischaracterize this legislation," he said.

The bill seeks to clamp down on illegal border crossings from Mexico while allowing some illegal
workers and their family members already in the United States to legally remain for up to six years if they pay a $1,000 fine for breaking the law and continuously hold a job.

Illegal immigrants who become guest workers could eventually become citizens if they have broken no additional laws, leave the country, return legally, pay a second $1,000 fine and become proficient English speakers.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Pelosi Statement on Introduction of Bipartisan Immigration Reform Bill

Pelosi Statement on Introduction of Bipartisan Immigration Reform Bill
WASHINGTON, March 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the introduction of the
Bipartisan Immigration Reform Bill, Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy Act of 2007 (STRIVE Act of 2007):

"I applaud today's introduction of the STRIVE Act of 2007. It is a significant step forward.

"It reflects a strong commitment by a bipartisan group of House Memberstoward realistic and comprehensive immigration reform. It provides an excellent framework for Congress and the President to begin work on the vital task of immigration reform, collaboratively and on a bipartisan basis. The President should embrace this framework.

"Our priorities on immigration reform are clear. Our first responsibility to the American people is their safety. We must secure our borders and enforce our laws, while also protecting against discrimination and adhering faithfully to the rule of law. At the same time, we must enact
immigration reform that is humane and honors our American tradition of being a nation of immigrants and a land of opportunity for all.

"Today, the House has begun the hard work of addressing immigration reform."

SOURCE Office of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi

TUSCON CITIZEN EDITORIAL: Don't let new immigration bill die of neglect

OUR OPINION: Don't let new immigration bill die of neglect
Tucson Citizen
letters@tucsoncitizen.com

The U.S. House today restarts the immigration debate with a bipartisan bill that would increase security while allowing people to come here and work under tightly controlled circumstances.

It also would allow those here illegally since before last summer to eventually become citizens if they pay fines, pass background checks and learn English.

People on both sides of the contentious immigration issue will find things in the bill they don't like. But it is a reasonable attempt to craft a practical solution to one of this nation's most vexing problems.

U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., discussing the bill last week with the Tucson Citizen Editorial Board, said it isn't perfect, and he doesn't philosophically agree with all of it.

But it does make substantial and needed improvements in this nation's immigration policies.

This is a bill that will be argued over and tinkered with as it grinds through the political process. And while that is to be expected, the window for success is brief.

If comprehensive immigration reform is not passed by late summer, the 2008 presidential and congressional elections will muddy the waters. Elections prevented Congress from passing reform last year.

The bill to be introduced today is sponsored by Reps. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill. The two had worked with Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., hoping to introduce a joint bill, before striking out on their own.
Border security is first step in process

The bill starts with tough border security that involves technology, not fences. It includes workplace enforcement so employers have a quick, secure way to check on the legality of potential employees.

Until those security measures are in place, nothing else would happen. That makes sense so other parts of the program are not built on shifting sands.

A "new worker" program would allow people to come here and work if an employer certifies that no American worker can be found.

Such a program is essential. It would greatly reduce the number of people entering the country illegally, allowing the Border Patrol to focus on criminals.

And it will make it unnecessary for desperate people seeking work to trek through the unforgiving Southwestern deserts, where hundreds die each year.

Finally, it will provide a viable work force for jobs that now go unfilled because there simply aren't enough people in the country legally to fill all of them.

The most controversial provision would allow people who entered the United States illegally before June 1, 2006, to eventually becomes U.S. citizens.

Path to citizenship would be extensive
But this is not blanket amnesty. It is a process that could take 11 years and would subject potential citizens to the most extensive review ever.

There would be $2,000 fines and in-depth background checks. Applicants would be required to pay taxes and learn English.

They also would be required to leave the country and return to the United States legally at least once during the process. They would have to stay out of the country only long enough to have papers stamped.

And they wouldn't have to return home. Mexicans living in the northeast, for example, could comply by going to Canada instead of making the trek home.

From a practical standpoint, this seems trivial. But some see it as an admission of wrongdoing. If it helps to win passage of the bill, it's a minor inconvenience.

The security of this nation is compromised by our broken immigration system. This bill would fix many of those problems. It should be seriously debated and moved through the congressional process.

READ AT TUSCON CITIZEN WEBSITE

CNN's People you Should Know: Niall O'Dowd: Immigration debate not about borders

O'Dowd: Immigration debate not about borders

CLICK HERE TO WATCH REPORT

(CNN) -- Conversations concerning modern-day immigration, legal or otherwise, tend to focus on the steady stream of immigrants from Latin America.

But restricting the discussion of immigration in the United States to one group of people from one area of the world, oversimplifies what is a much broader topic, Niall O'Dowd, chairman of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, told CNN. "This isn't just a Hispanic problem, or an Asian problem, or any kind of problem," he said of immigration. "This isn't something to fear, but something to embrace. This is a country of immigration."

As the chairman of the Irish Lobby for Immigration, an organization with 28 chapters across the country, O'Dowd is looking for immigration reform to help thousands of undocumented Irish in the United States. Specifically, he said, the group wants legislation to provide work visas and a process for undocumented workers to become legal.

"What we want is a work-based system whereby people who are providing services, who are in a position to work hard, who are in a position to give back to this economy, can do so in a legal fashion," he said.

According to O'Dowd, there are about 50,000 undocumented Irish in the United States, primarily on the East Coast, most of whom came with tourist visas and overstayed in order to work. O'Dowd's motives are largely personal. In 1979, as a 25-year-old, he left Ireland to come to the United States, and was undocumented for a time. "Once you've walked in the shoes of being undocumented, you never forget it," he said. "I think if native-born Americans knew how great their country looked, or how tremendous the opportunity looks to people who come here, they'd have a very different view of immigration," he said.

"I feel I have had my chance at the American dream, and it ... is very important to me to allow other Irish people to experience the greatest country in the world and live their version of the dream."

In addition to leading the Irish Lobby for Immigration, O'Dowd also founded Irish America Magazine and Irish Voice newspaper in New York.

READ AT CNN WEBSITE

Derry Journal: Derry Bishop launches website to help 'undocumented Irish'

Derry Bishop launches website to help 'undocumented Irish'

DERRY BISHOP Dr Seamus Hegarty has launched a new website dedicated to helping the "undocumented Irish" in the United States.

The updated Irish Apostolate site - www.usairish.org - aims to provide up-to-date analysis to ensure that Irish people will have access to information on proposed legislative reforms for immigrants living in the US.

Dr. Hegarty said: "I would encourage anyone with an interest in this very important issue to sign up for our monthly newsletter available on the website. Our own Director of the Bishops' Commission for Emigrants, Fr Alan Hilliard, attended the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform organised rally in Washington DC last week. The purpose of the rally was to call for immigration reform on behalf of the 'undocumented' Irish in the United States.

"It is clear that more work is needed to ensure that the 'undocumented' receive a comprehensive reform package. We should continue to pray for such an outcome."

READ ARTICLE AT DERRY JOURNAL WEBSITE

Reporesentative Eliot Engel shows his support for the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform

Congressman Eliot Engel enjoys a lighter moment with members of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform before they marched together in the St. Patrick's Day parade in Pearl River Sunday (3/18).

Donegal volunteers get ready for April 14th Dublin Rally for the Irish undocumented in America

Donegal volunteers used their local St. Patrick's Day parade to let everyone know about the April 14th Dublin Meeting and Rally in support the Irish undocumented in America.

For further details on the meeting click HERE.