US politicians must inject some common sense into the country's immigration policies to continue to attract the brightest and best Irish immigrants, Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg said today.
Mr Bloomberg said he was lobbying hard to increase the number of visas issued to newcomers and undocumented Irish people.
He was speaking in Ballymote, Co Sligo, where he unveiled a monument to the Fighting 69th Regiment, which was led during the American Civil War by Sligo native Michael Corcoran.
The memorial includes some of the original steel beams from the Twin Towers destroyed by terrorists almost five years ago.
Mr Bloomberg told a civic reception in his honour: "The histories of New York and Ireland have been so intertwined, I would expect that our economic relationships will continue to grow in the future even more so. For that to happen, we need to convince the US Congress to adopt a federal immigration policy that makes sense.
"It means significantly increasing the number of visas that we give to those who want to come to America and ensuring that those who are already in America have an opportunity to stay," he said.
"I know there are many Irish-born New Yorkers who are caught in the trap of our federal immigration policies. If we're going to continue to attract the brightest and the best to the United States, and Ireland has more than its fair share, we need to inject some common sense to our immigration laws and I'm doing my best to make that case."
Local Fine Gael TD John Perry, chairman of the organising committee, said the centuries-old relationship between Ireland and the United States has been nurtured and nourished over the years by the millions of Irish who made their home in America.
Mr Bloomberg's visit was picketed by anti-war protesters opposed to the mayor's support for Israel's offensive against Hizbullah in Lebanon.
Members of the 69th regiment are serving in Iraq where 19 have been killed - ten from New York and nine from Louisiana. More than 50 others have been wounded. Mr Bloomberg said he was deeply moved by the supreme sacrifices still being made by the unit.
The regiment was formed from Irishmen who emigrated to the United States, and it fought one of the bloodiest American Civil War battles on behalf of the Southern Confederate forces in Fredericksburg, Maryland, on September 13th, 1862.
Former US president John F. Kennedy referred to the 69th in a speech to the Dáil on June 28th, 1963, and he presented a green flag on behalf of the 69th Brigade that hangs in the corridors of Leinster House.
A museum to honour the 69th is now being planned in Ballymote.