Immigration reform not one-sided; Irish Americans say debate over reform as important to them

[pampango]

Source: Denver Daily News

Speaking in Denver yesterday, Irish American Ciaran Staunton, president of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, said people often forget that of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in America, at least 50,000 of them are from Ireland. The debate over comprehensive immigration reform is often centered around the Hispanic community because of America’s close proximity to Mexico but Staunton points out that for thousands of Irish people, the debate is just as important.

Irish immigrants would simply like to be included in the debate over comprehensive immigration reform as Congress takes up the issue. A proposal calls for legalizing an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants by requiring them to learn English, pay a $500 fine, pass background checks and register with the federal government, to name the main points of the proposal.

A similar proposal was pushed in 2007 by U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., which was supported by President George W. Bush. It sought tougher border controls and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. President Obama supported the legislation at the time, but Bush’s fellow Republicans in Congress killed the proposal.

For those opposed to immigration, however, the debate isn’t about one single group. Former Congressman Tom Tancredo, an anti-illegal immigration stalwart, said now is not the time for America to be issuing visas, and said it’s not about Hispanics or Irish people it’s about immigration in general. “Oh, yeah, this has changed my mind entirely now that they’re not Hispanics,” quipped Tancredo, speaking about Staunton’s remarks. “I couldn’t care less about the source of the illegal immigration, but I’m certainly concerned about the impact of it.”

Read more: http://www.thedenverdailynews.com/article.php?aID=7535

[Cleita]

1. Shhhh!

No one wants to talk about the white European illegal immigrants. However, it isn't only the Irish but those from other English speaking countries that are here illegally. However, you never hear Lou Dobbs talk about them, or about building walls at our northern border with Canada and shooting immigrants on sight when they cross that border, which is the way they come in here. Since citizens of all countries who were once British colonies and part of the commonwealth can immigrate to Canada with few obstacles, it's just a short skip across to the USA. Then finding a neighborhood you can fit into along with job information and you are set.

[Kali]

2. Hell, a lot of them came in legally on tourist visas

and just stay.

[Cleita]

3. That too.

I knew a lot of Scandanavians who did just that.

[Action]

5. Eh?

Don't pick on Canada. It's a great country with national health care for all. Unlike Palin, I can see Canada from my office window here in downtown Detroit.

[AlphaCentauri]

8. Well what would scare the people more than to talk about the brown immigrants

Lou Dobbs was pitching for the racist tea baggers

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

10. just like nobody gets to upset about the E-3 visa

funny how it is okay when it is Australians stealing jerbs,

[area51]

4. Irish in the U.S.

It always blows my mind that anyone from a first-world country with guaranteed health care would want to live in the U.S. with our "Can't pay for your health care? Then die." system.

[Action]

6. Irish in US

You got that right. The USA is one of the meanest countries towards it's own citizens. They just want the Baby Boomers to die rather than give them the benefits they worked so hard to qualify for.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

11. Ireland was pretty rotten for decades,

Not to mention many IRA figures fled to the US,

[Zorra]

7. Legalizing 12 million non-citizens seems ludicrous when we have 15 million

unemployed citizens at this time.

And 15 million is probably the lowest possible estimate.

[AlphaCentauri]

9. So not legalizing them will fix the unemployment problem

:freak: