NY mayor calls for "common sense" in immigration laws

Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York, speaking at Sligo’s City Hall, pledged to fight for legislation that would help undocumented Irish immigrants in the US. "I know that many Irish-born New Yorkers are caught in the trap of our federal immigration policies," he said. "If we are going to attract the best and the brightest — and Ireland has more than its fair share — we need to inject some common sense into our immigration laws, and I'm doing my best to make that case in Washington."
The mayor was speaking as part of his trip, postponed from earlier in the month, to dedicate a memorial to the Fighting 69th, the “Irish brigade” of the US Civil War. The memorial includes metal from the World Trade Center.
http://www.nysun.com/article/38427


Fine Gael TD John Perry made a speech at the monument’s unveiling, in which he said: “This monument represents the unbreakable link between all those who emigrated from Ireland to the United States over the past 200 years. It is a link of dedication. It is a link of service to others. It is a link of sacrifice for others. It is a link of friendship between our two nations. And it is a link of hope for a future that is free and possible.”
The entire text of the speech is available at http://www.irishdev.com/NewsArticle.aspx?id=3608

Topics: US Immigration reform, history

ILIR efforts continue

The Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform is continuing its efforts throughout the Congressional summer recess, says the Irish Voice in New York. The group is hosting weekly local meetings to discuss tactics around the New York Area; volunteers have also been spreading the word through attending Irish festivals. In addition, Irish comedian Des Bishop will feature in fundraisers hosted by the ILIR and by the Aisling Immigration Center. The ILIR is also sponsoring a bus to participate in a cross-cultural rally in Washington DC on September 7. The group has also been attending Congressional hearings on the immigrant issue around the country, and will step up their efforts to pressure Congress on the issue this autumn.

Returning emigrants need info, says Brennan

Unison.ie’s breaking news reports that Social Affairs Minister Seamus Brennan, speaking as he presented a cheque for €200,000 to the Emigrant Advice service, said that returnees must have all the up-to-date information needed to make the return process as smooth as possible. The report noted that 20,000 Irish people are coming home every year.

New York mayor to unveil Sligo monument

In other news about Irish men serving in forces abroad, Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York will visit Ballymote, Co. Sligo to unveil a monument to the 69th Regiment of the American Civil War – also known as the “Fighting Irish”. The monument’s base contains steel from the Twin Towers in memory of Sligo-born Michael F Lynch, a firefighter who died on 9/11.

Irish WWI soldiers to be granted pardons

The British government’s announcement yesterday that it would seek pardons for the 306 soldiers who were shot at dawn for cowardice or desertion during World War I has been welcomed by Irish campaigners and Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern.. There were 26 Irish killed for such offences; Irish men were four times more likely to be executed as a result of court martial than British, Canadian, or New Zealand troops. The offences for which they were killed were repealed by British authorities in 1930; many of the offences were apparently related to post-traumatic stress disorder. In 2006, Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern called for pardons for the Irish-born soldiers shot by the British army; his department had produced a report, presented to the British government, that outlined the flawed justice the men had been subjected to.
http://foreignaffairs.gov.ie/Press_Releases/20060328/2010.htm

Minister re-iterates support

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has re-emphasised the Government's commitment to supporting the interests of the Irish abroad. He said, "This commitment is reflected in the fact that funding for emigrant services has never been higher. I am delighted that the unprecedented amount of €12 million has been allocated for this purpose this year. This follows on other substantial increases in recent years, so that funding is now twelve-times the sum that was available when this Government came to office in 1997.”

Commenting on the distribution of grants, the Minister said:
“So far this year I have been happy to announce grants exceeding €9 million. Most of this funding is being distributed to organisations in Britain that support Irish people there. In July I approved grants to over 140 organisations throughout Britain that are engaged in a wide range of activities of benefit to our community there.
The bulk of funding to groups in Britain, which I expect will reach some €9 million by the end of the year, is allocated to welfare projects that benefit the vulnerable members of our community there. I am also delighted that increased funding has enabled us to support a much wider range of initiatives in Britain than was possible in the past, including social, heritage and sporting projects which foster a sense of community.
The interests of the Irish in the United States remain an important priority for the Government. I have been happy to announce funding to organisations there of over €1 million. The information and advisory services provided by Irish organisations in the US make a critical difference for many members of our community there. These services are of particular value to the undocumented Irish whose welfare remains an issue of deep concern for the Government.
While most funding is directed to organisations in Britain and the United States, I have also been happy to announce financial support to a number of organisations in Ireland that are engaged in activities of benefit to Irish people abroad. I have also approved first time funding to Irish-Argentine community organisations. I look forward to announcing further grants later in the year to Irish community groups abroad, including to organisations in Australia and elsewhere.”

See the full press release on the Department of Foreign Affairs website.

Pat Rabbitte called for a re-examination of national policies on immigration as part of his speech on Michael Davitt to the Parnell Summer School. He warned against seeing immigration in solely economic terms and called for addressing the challenges of integration and assimilation.
He invoked the spectre of Ireland’s legacy as an emigrant nation:

"We should also do well to not forget our own national experience as a one time emigrant people. We should as a now receiving country, remember and recall the three dimensions of involuntary, large-scale emigration as it affected our country – the wrench of leaving home, the demographic hole – and its consequences – left behind, and the difficulties our emigrants and receiving populations faced in the destination countries. We should have in our collective memory the lessons from that experience and apply them in our remarkable new demographic setting. I am sure that is what Davitt would want us to do."

Newspaper makes claims of prostitution in Australia

The Sunday Tribune reports that some Irish students have turned to prostitution to fund their travels. The papers claims that brothels across Australia, where prostitution is legal, are hiring Irish women under the age of 25. The paper featured an interview with a student from Galway who said that she turned to prostitution after learning how much money prostitutes made. An agency working with prostitutes, the Scarlet Alliance, said, “We have a lot of girls who come to us for assistance. Some of these girls may have industrial concerns; they may want to improve their work conditions or they could have faced unfair dismissal.” Geraldine Rowley of Irish organisation Ruhama was quoted highlighting the dangers of prostitution.

Irish homeless in London figures fall

The number of Irish people sleeping rough in central London has fallen to about 100 this year – a figure that IrishExaminer.com said was an all-time low. This is down from 600 in 1999. The figures come from the Simon Homeless Agency, which credits increased Dion funding for the reduction.

Returning emigrants unaffected by habitual residency requirements?

A report released by the Social Welfare Appeals office highlights several case studies of those affected by the Habitual Residency requirement. All of those cases highlighted were those of immigrants. None of the cases highlighted affected returned emigrants.

Three Irish-Argentine community organisations have been granted funding by the Department of Foreign Affairs; this is the first time that Argentine community groups have received funding. In making the announcement, Minister Noel Treacy said, “The descendants of the men and women who left Galway, Mayo, Westmeath, Longford, Wexford, and other parts of Ireland and settled in Argentina are also distinguished by the fact that they form the largest community of Irish descent outside of English-speaking countries.” He added that next year will mark the 150th anniversary of the death of Mayo-born founder of the Argentine Navy, Admiral Browne.
The funding went to:

• Spanish-language newspaper The Southern Cross, which was founded by the Irish-Argentine community in 1875; the €12,000 in funding will be used for new equipment and for preservation of early editions.
• The Fahy Club, named after a Galway-born priest Anthony Dominic Fahy, has received a grant of €15,000; they will use the money to update its facilities.
• The Federation of Irish-Argentine Associations has received €15,000 to support an Executive Secretary post.

There is substantial information on the Irish in Argentina at http://www.irishargentine.org.
http://foreignaffairs.gov.ie/Press_Releases/20060807/2130.htm

Free travel still under discussion

Minister for Transport Seamus Brennan said that the Government was considering the introduction of a free travel scheme for the elderly and the disabled between Ireland and Britain; he made the comments as he revealed that the current peak time restrictions on the use of travel passes for public transport would be lifted. There was apparently no further discussion today on the issue of extending the free travel programme to emigrants.
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2006/0809/breaking35.htm

Outgoing ambassador on British-Irish relations

The outgoing British ambassador to Ireland, Stewart Eldon, has an opinion piece in the Irish Times outlining progress in the Irish-British relationship. Interestingly, he doesn’t mention emigration; he focuses on what the two nations have in common, including trade links, joint efforts on the North, young Irish people’s attitudes toward the UK, the Irish Government’s commemoration of the Battle of the Somme, cooperation on law enforcement. He concludes that while Ireland and Britain will always be rivals on the sports field, “that rivalry is now counterbalanced by greater understanding of each other's sensitivities and a recognition that both sides have something real and important to contribute, across the board.”

Returning emigrants exempt from home-building rules

Returning emigrants will be exempt from Donegal County Council rules aimed at limiting the number of holiday homes in the county, according to the Irish Independent. The paper reports that the new 2006-2012 County Development Plan requires home buyers about to purchase a house in one of the county’s 1,500 townlands where holiday homes comprise more than 20% of housing stock must sign a contract pledging to live in the house for seven years. Exceptions are being proposed for returning emigrants and accommodation proposed as part of an overall tourism package.

RTE’s Morning Ireland featured a story on Australia’s changes to its “Working Holiday” and “Work and Holiday” visa programme. Ireland has the third-highest proportion of participants in the programme, behind the UK and South Korea, with 12,500 to 13,000 a year. The main change is that now participants on the programme can work six months with each employer, up from the former three-month limit. The seasonal work for second“Working Holiday” visa applicants has been expanded to include plant and animal cultivation, fishing and pearling, and tree farming and felling.
More information is available at http://www.immi.gov.au.

http://dynamic.rte.ie/av/228-2163537.smil
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0808/morningireland.html
More information on the changes is available at:
http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/whats-new.htm

TOPICS: Australia, visas

J1ers report problems

Siobhan Dennehy of the Emerald Isle Immigration Center in New York was interviewed on Ryan Tubridy about problems facing this year’s J-1 programme participants as well as the services offered by the EIIC. She noted her belief that the organisations operating the visa programme could be more pro-active in offering advice to the students before their arrival in the US.
Ryan Tubridy also spoke to a J-1 participant living in Yonkers who spoke of his difficulties in finding a job. He plans on returning home to Ireland after only six weeks because his job search has been fruitless.

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/tommcgurk/