A RALLY WAS held in Dublin today calling on Taoiseach Enda Kenny to support undocumented migrants in Ireland in the same way he does undocumented Irish in the US.
The protest was organised by the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) and a large banner was draped across a building in Dame Street.
It read: “Happy St. Patrick’s Day to the undocumented in the U.S.A. from the undocumented in Ireland.”
Taoiseach Enda Kenny is currently in the US as part of the annual St Patrick’s Day trip and is expected to speak with President Barack Obama about immigration reforms.
Obama’s plans have “offered a lifeline” to the over 50,000 undocumented Irish people in the US.
Kenny has been a supporter of the plans and the MRCI’s Helen Lowry wants him to follow that same example in Ireland.
“The Taoiseach has shown a deep understanding for the plight of the undocumented Irish – separated from their families, living in the shadows, unable to travel home even for funerals. It’s time for him to acknowledge the people here in Ireland in exactly the same situation,” she argued.
The MRCI has organised a campaign to email the Taoiseach ahead of his US visit, urging him not to forget about undocumented workers in Ireland. Almost 2,000 people have emailed the Taoiseach so far.
Founding member of the Justice for the Undocumented campaign, Jayson Montenegro, says he has lived and worked in Ireland for 12 years without the regularisation of his status here:
Undocumented people in Ireland share the struggles and fears of the Irish undocumented in America, and we share their hopes and dreams too. We support their fight for regularisation, and we wish the Taoiseach the very best in his efforts to assist them. Undocumented workers and families in Ireland just want the chance to get regularised, too.
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