Supporters of the undocumented Irish living in the United States held a rally outside the Dáil yesterday to urge movement on a reciprocal immigration deal between the US and Irish governments.
Carrying placards and photos of loved ones, members of Families and Friends of the Undocumented Irish said they were hopeful the legal status of those concerned could be regularised in time for them to travel to Ireland for Christmas.
The issue was debated in the Dáil last night after Fine Gael brought forward a Private Members' motion seeking support for a bilateral agreement on the model of a similar accord between the US and Australia.
Speaking at the demonstration, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said he believed there was reason to be optimistic, in light of the deal which granted 10,000 work visas to Australians in the US annually, and the same for Americans working in Australia.
With comprehensive immigration reform having stalled in the US Senate, an Ireland-specific deal was currently the best hope for the estimated 25,000-50,000 Irish citizens living in the US illegally.
"We were so devastated when the immigration reform collapsed, I cried for days," said Marie Dooley, whose son, Edward, has been living in New York undocumented for six years.
"It's so sad at Christmas with the empty chair at the table."
The group of supporters organised their campaign after an April meeting in Dublin with the US-based Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, which sought to inform families in Ireland of the complex situation facing their undocumented relatives in the US.
Since then the group has collected about 3,000 signatures calling for Government action.