Ireland absorbed immigrants in hard times through the centuries, but absorption seems more problematic now when times are easier, according to the President, Mrs McAleese.
The President was speaking at the launch of a report on immigrants in Ireland, "Voices of Immigrants", published yesterday by the Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI).
Referring to the racism experienced by many immigrants, Mrs McAleese said: "What a way to dishonour the memory of all those Irish who endured similar treatment abroad. What a way to dishonour the noble aspirations on which our country was founded and the values embodied in our Constitution which speaks of assuring the 'dignity and freedom of the individual'.
"Racism is a cancer, a toxin. It runs amok where there is silence. It hides in embarrassment where it is contradicted by a listening friend, a neighbour, a partner on the golf course, a colleague at work."
She said thankfully bigots were not the whole story. The best and strongest impulse of decent Irish men and women was to offer friendship, and to be a good welcoming neighbour.
Sister Stanislaus Kennedy, chairwoman of ICI, said: "What we have in Ireland is a piecemeal, ad hoc, fragmented and often negative approach to immigration. What we need is a properly-developed, comprehensive, integrated and well-managed immigration policy, and a more balanced and constructive debate and dialogue on immigration."
The report recommends a policy centred on the prospect of people immigrating on a permanent basis, rather than being treated as temporary immigrants.
Entitlements should not be tied to citizenship but to residency, and immigrants should be entitled to the same rights as Irish people apart from those directly linked to citizenship.
The report echoes a previous report from the Migrants Rights Centre in recommending an overhaul of the work permit system, taking permits away from employers and giving them to the worker.
It also states that family members, including grown unmarried children, should be allowed to join people who come here to work, and spouses should have the right to work.