A good idea well worth serious consideration

THE hopes and fears of the tens of thousands illegal Irish immigrants in the USA have been met with too many false dawns. The Irish are a very small number, but giving them a special deal risks creating precedents that could affect 11 million illegals from all over the globe. Yet the search for ways of making a special case for the undocumented Irish must continue and there must be innovative ideas to find a way around a crux which has gone on for decades. So the revelation that Senator Billy Lawless is working on the prospect of a reciprocal deal for the 10,500 US citizens living in Ireland is welcome.

If Ireland could offer these US citizens some way to streamline the bureaucratic burden in relation to residency, then perhaps Washington can be persuaded to make a move on the estimated 10,000 to 50,000 Irish illegals?

Senator Lawless, who worked successfully as an advocate for illegals in Chicago, has been quietly working on the case at Leinster House for the last two years.

Senator Lawless is keen to ensure no false hopes are raised at this stage. His assessment is that the Irish Government is receptive to the idea, but warns the bigger obstacle is the “poisonous atmosphere” which surrounds the issue of immigration in Donald Trump’s USA.

Yet his proposal remains a good one which deserves serious consideration as it offers hope for a group of people left in a near impossible situation with considerable suffering.