Madam, – President-elect Obama must bring forward initiatives to help legalise the undocumented and illegal Irish in America.
We know that there may be as many as 50,000 undocumented and illegal Irish people living in America at present.
Many of these people have lived in America for a long number of years now.
The illegal and undocumented Irish cannot leave America to visit sick parents or family members in Ireland, they cannot come home to Ireland for weddings, funerals or family occasions. Many Irish grandparents have never met their grandchildren.
The illegal Irish in America cannot even obtain a driving licence because they cannot produce a social security number.
I know of a personal case of an Irishman who has been living in the east coast of America for the past 15 years.
He is working as a painter, he is married and he has three young children.
He lives in fear that he will be deported. This is an unacceptable situation.
The American government is completely and fully within its rights to tighten up security at American airports and ports due to international terrorism threats. But I am urging the new president of America to show a sense of compassion and understanding of the very difficult situation that many illegal and undocumented Irish people find themselves in at present in America.
The 50,000 illegal and undocumented Irish people in America need urgent help.
Irish people have made an invaluable contribution in helping to build up America as a new and modern country over the past 150 years.
We are now all living in changed circumstances.
With the very difficult economic times in Ireland, we are going to have to address this political issue of the undocumented Irish in America with a renewed spirit of determination and purpose.
Irish people have been helped before in America via the Donnelly and Morrison laws.
But we need the political assistance of president-elect Obama now more than ever. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The complete overhyping of the new US president by The Irish Timesis truly inappropriate.
From the acres of newsprint devoted to the man before he has even taken up the new role, one would think the Messiah has arrived.
Is it really necessary to serialise his book daily in your newspaper?
There is no doubt that he provides some optimism for the citizens of the US and beyond.
However, your idolising coverage of this politician exceeds even that of teenage pop fans.
Let us see how he tackles the rampant poverty in his own country and addresses the billions squandered on military weapons by the US each year.
Obama’s handlers have hailed him as a new turning point for the world.
He certainly has a tough job ahead of him.
Could we wait and observe his policies in the US and abroad, before publishing any more special supplements or glowing tributes?
Actions speak louder than flowery words, especially when it comes to American foreign policy for the last 50 years.
Let us hope that he proceeds with a little more caution than his predecessor – only then can we judge the “radical Obama” in a more sober light. – Yours, etc,