Limerick man's visit home results in US visa trouble

A 35-year-old Limerick native has been prevented from returning to his pregnant wife in Iowa by US immigration authorities. Jimmy Murphy of Newcastle West has been married less than a year to Iowa native Rachele Murphy; he was employed in the US and had applied for adjustment of status, which he was told would take nine months. He had all his papers in order when the couple decided to take a New Year's trip to Ireland; Mr Murphy was detained at Dublin Airport because he had breached the terms of his status upgrade application.

Attempts to resolve the situation have so far failed. The US embassy in Dublin no longer has the authority to process the case, and Mr Murphy has been told he needs to present himself to authorities in the US, although he has been prevented from re-entering the country. Local officials are hoping that Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern may assist in resolving the issue.

Mr Murphy told the Limerick Leader:

"My wife is three months pregnant. We were starting off on a new life, with our first child on the way and had never been happier. I had always had my papers in order. The packet of documents which I had received when applying for adjustment of status did not say that I was to remain in America while the application was being processed. The first I knew was when I was turned back at Shannon."

See the Limerick Leader for the full report.

Self-proclaimed "plastic Paddy" weighs in on rugby controversy

The Irish Times carries a letter today regarding the rugby match between England and Ireland this evening at Croke Park. Much has been made over the controversial matter of "God Save the Queen" at the stadium, which was the scene of a massacre of 14 innocent people by British paramilitaries in 1920. Dr Richard Lanigan writes from Surrey, England to say that he was the grandfather of Dick Lanigan, who stood
beside Mick Hogan for a team photograph moments before Hogan was shot dead in that travesty.

He goes on to say, however,

On Saturday Grandad would also recall that England gave his son and many other people a living when the Irish Republic could not provide work for the m in the 1950s and 1960s. I spent many happy times with Grandad when my parents broke up in the 1960s and he never commented that his grandson considered himself to be English back then. Today his great-grandchildren have an English mother and a "plastic Paddy"
for a father.

If he were alive, I am sure he would be cheering on the Irish with the rest of the family, hoping sportsmen can set an example where politicians have failed.

The letter was favourably commented on during RTE's morning show on Saturday.
Read the letter at the Irish Times website.

Irish prisoners exempt from deportation

Irish prisoners will not be deported upon completion of their sentences, according to a decision announced yesterday by British Home Secretary John Reid. A campaign by the Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas and the Irish Government has resulted in the exemption of Irish nationals from the policy, announced last April, of deporting foreign national prisoners.

The Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas, an Éan member organisation, submitted a dossier of more than 30 inmates with strong family ties in Britain. The organisation estimates that there could be as many as 1,000 Irish prisoners in English and Welsh jails. Grainne Prior of ICPO told the Guardian newspaper that many of the Irish prisoners were fully integrated into English life after living there for years; some had families and some had lost all family ties in Ireland.

Fr Gerry McFlynn of the London ICPO office said,

"Many families who contacted the ICPO over the last 9 months have been at their wits end due to the confusion and anxiety around the issue and the continued detention of their loved ones. Today's statement in bound to bring reassurance and comfort to many".

Bishop Seamus Hegarty, chair of the Irish Episcopal Commission for Emigrants, commended the support of the Irish Government in the matter, adding,

"I wish also to commend the dedication of the staff at the London and Maynooth offices of the ICPO. They have worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome on behalf of Irish prisoners in Britain, and their families. Contemporary migration brings with it the challenge of upholding human dignity while at the same time we respond to our mission to minister to people on the move".

"The Country Boy" tours nation with 1950s emigration tale

The Country Boy, a play written by John Murphy in 1959, is on tour around Ireland. The Irish Times calls it “a gentle, old-fashioned hymn to the Irish emigrant, a theme which, five years later, would receive a more sophisticated and cutting-edge treatment in Brian Friel’s 'Philadelphia, Here I Come!'".
The play tells the story of a Mayo-born emigrant who returns home for a visit, fifteen years after he left for New York. On his visit home, his troubles are revealed, including alcoholism, unhappy marriage and regret.

The play is getting good reviews and after its opening in Armagh, is touring Virginia, Coleraine, Roscommon, Belfast, Cookstown, Dun Laoghaire and Tallaght.

See a review at Roscrea Online.

US Embassy encourages J1 applicants

The American Embassy in Dublin is campaigning this year to fight the decline in J1 applicants. Numbers of students applying for the programme have dipped since the September 11 attack, reaching a low point in 2004, when only 4,500 applied, down from figures well over 10,000. In 2005 the figure jumped to 6,800, but was down about 1,000 last year.

This year, US authorities have loosened restrictions. Final year students can participate this year, even if they are not going on to further study, although they do need proof of other alternatives, such as a job offer.

USIT is finding more students are choosing to go further afield than the traditional destinations of New York and Boston. The agency also found that over half the students who went through their programme last yuear had jobs before they arrived, with a third having sorted out accommodation. 90% had found somewhere to stay within two weeks of arrival.

Full report on the Irish Times website (subscription required).
More J1 resources at:
Usit's J1 website
Sayit's J1 website
www.go4less.ie

US candidate releases statement on Ireland

US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama released a foreign-policy statement on Ireland shortly after he officially declared his candidacy. In the op-ed, which was carried in full by New York's Irish Echo and the Irish Times, he praises the contributions of Irish immigrants and expresses his support for comprehensive immigration reform to benefit the 12 million undocumented in the US.

He says, in full:

"My family's story may be familiar to Irish Americans -- a distant homeland, a journey across an ocean in search of opportunity. Like many Americans of Irish descent, I too have made the journey to my family's homeland.


"In 1987, I first traveled to Kenya, the birthplace of my father. I discovered a warm sense of community. I discovered a land with an unforgettably haunting beauty. I discovered a people determined to grab hold of hope. In short, I made discoveries that are familiar to scores of Irish Americans.


"The determined optimism of the Irish people has enabled them to grab hold of hope in the United States, from South Boston to the south side of Chicago. It's an optimism expressed in three issues so important to Irish Americans today: a lasting peace in Northern Ireland, an American immigration policy that keeps faith with our tradition of offering opportunity to those who seek it, and strong economic and cultural ties between our two nations.


"As I chair the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on Europe, and as I travel around the country learning from and listening to the American people, I will be advancing ideas and policies to meet these goals.


"After years of hard-earned progress, Northern Ireland is now poised to take another step forward. The IRA has abandoned violence and arms and Sinn Fein has now voted to support the PSNI. They have, in the words of Tony Blair, made a commitment that 'has been historic and has been real.'


"To seize this hopeful moment, the Democratic Unionist party should take the next step outlined in the St. Andrew's agreement: a commitment to a power-sharing executive after March elections, so Northern Ireland can continue the process of peace that its people so clearly wish to follow.


"The gains of the last decade were in part made possible by U.S. engagement. Going forward, we should continue the practice of having a special envoy for Northern Ireland, and the our president should personally engage on where America can play a constructive role, working closely with the Irish Taoiseach, the British prime minister, and party leaders in Northern Ireland.


"We must also pursue immigration policies that keep open the doors of opportunity in our own country. My father's experience has informed my own views on the issue, and I have seen the enormous contributions that Irish immigrants have made to this country. Last summer, I joined hundreds of thousands of people in Chicago to march on behalf of immigration reform, walking shoulder to shoulder with many Irish Americans who shared their own personal stories of hope and opportunity.


"Yet our system is broken, and fixing it demands a comprehensive approach. Last year, I reached across the aisle to work with Republicans on this. Our proposal would strengthen border security and prohibit employers from hiring illegal immigrants, but it also recognizes that the deportation of 12 million people is impossible.


"That's why it proposes a tough, earned path to citizenship for those in the United States illegally; replaces the flood of undocumented workers with a new flow of guestworkers; and ensures that law-abiding immigrants are welcome to pursue their dreams.


"The ties between America and Ireland go far beyond bloodlines. U.S. investment in Ireland helped create the Celtic Tiger, and Ireland's economic success has in turn led to a boom in Irish investment in the United States. Incalculable cultural exchanges draw us together, as do common causes and common beliefs.


"In 1963, John F. Kennedy made his own journey in reverse and addressed the Irish Parliament. He cited the principles that unite our countries, quoting George Bernard Shaw's command to 'dream of things that never were, and ask why not,' and paying tribute to an Ireland that 'sent their doctors and technicians and soldiers and priests to help other lands to keep their liberty alive.'


"Today, President Kennedy would be pleased - but not surprised - to find the Irish working to lift up other lands from east Africa to east Asia, and to find an Ireland that has come so very far on its own. The story of our two countries is constantly evolving and joined together. I welcome this opportunity to be a part of that story, and look forward to hearing your concerns in the months ahead."

Éan working to ensure radio included in broadcasting legislation

Éan has been working to ensure that Irish radio broadcasts will be available to Irish communities in Europe as part of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2006. The original bill as it was introduced in the Seanad made provision for television broadcasting, but not radio. Ean and Éan member Enda O'Kane worked to contact senators to explain the importance of radio to Irish communities abroad, and, in particular, the value of DRM digital shortwave. A number of amendments have now been added to the bill to include radio.

The relevant Seanad discussions are on the Seanad website.
January 31 debate
February 7 debate

Another bill is looking at the overall issue of broadcasting - Enda and Éan worked to contact a number of groups and individuals to make contributions during the discussion period at econsultation.ie. To see these contributions, visit the econsultation.ie website.

US immigrants face application fee hikes

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services this week announced proposals for major hikes in application fees. The increases, in some cases amounting to 500%, are expected to go through in June.
The proposed application fee increases include:
- $905 for a green card application; thecurrent fee is $325.
- $1,370 for adjustment of status from temporary to lawful permanent resident, up from $180.
- $340 for work authorization, up from $180.
- $595 for naturalized citizenship, up from $330.
- $290 to replace a lost or stolen green card, up from $190.

"We're confident that this fee adjustment will enable the type of exceptional immigration service our nation expects and deserves," said a statement from USCIS Director Emilio Gonzalez on Wednesday.

Immigration advocates, however, say the price hikes will pose a significant obstacle for many immigrants.

The proposals are subject to a public comment period; to comment, visit www.regulations.gov; use the “agency” box to click on “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services” and hit “submit”. You will then be shown the document, “Adjustment of the Immigration and Naturalization Benefit Application and Petition Fee Schedule”. Click on the “Docket ID” to read the comments submitted, and “Document ID” for instructions on making a comment.