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MANY IRISH EMIGRANTS in America are facing a tough and lonely environment, according to the New York Irish Centre.
The assessment comes as Minister for the Diaspora, Jimmy Deenihan, announced more than €72,258 to provide counselling and suicide prevention services for the Irish community in New York.
Paul Finnegan, the executive director of the New York Irish Center, told TheJournal.ie: “This is a timely development, given the increasing emotional difficulties being faced by Irish emigrants in a tough and lonely environment, where there is often little hope, especially among the undocumented.”
‘People are scared’
An Irish service provider in Boston who did not wish to be named said that undocumented people have ongoing fears about being deported:
“Enforcement numbers have gone up which creates more fear in the community and you know of family and friends who are in immigration custody or have been deported.
Anybody in a shirt and tie is official, and they are also afraid that even if you are not going to rat them out that you are in contact with people that might.
“They are like the suspect community of the Irish in London in the early 90s where the threat was terrorism, here it is illegal status and they are scared.
“We estimate there could be up to 10,000 undocumented people living in the Boston area.”
Barriers
The UCD Clinton Institute report on the Emigrant Support Programme found that “multiple interviewees noted that young professionals are willing to overstay once their short term visa expires.”
A spokesperson for the New York Irish Centre said, “The younger generation who may have been here for 10 years but don’t have any children are a particular concern as people got their hopes up before Obama’s immigration reforms and then they were left very disappointed.
The undocumented who can’t go home can find this time of year very difficult. The loss of a relative is also another very difficult time for people who can’t go home.
Undocumented emigrants are not eligible for public assistance and routine medical procedures are not covered in the US.
Another service provider in New York spoke about the barriers the undocumented often face in terms of healthcare:
Health insurance and coverage is a big problem…people only go [to hospital] if it is an accident or illness, they will sooner ignore something that is a very serious issue because of the thought of ‘what will this cost me?’
“It is awful that people have neglected something until it is too late.”
It’s also reported that many of the older generation who emigrated in the 1950s, 60s and 70s may now find themselves in an economically vulnerable situation with little savings to meet rising healthcare costs.
Mind Ur Buddy
The new funding from the Irish government will enable Pieta House to set up the first Pieta Room outside of Ireland – in the New York Irish Center – for Irish people in crisis. It will also support the training of counsellors and counselling services.
The three main Irish centres in New York – the Aisling Center, the New York Irish Center and the Emerald Isle Immigration Center – are involved in the pilot programme.
Pieta House will also work with the GAA to deliver the ‘Mind Ur Buddy Programme’ to GAA members in New York.
Mind Ur Buddy is a peer support programme designed to help individuals spot when a colleague or teammate may be in suicidal crisis.
Pieta House is aiming to train 500 GAA members in New York. GAA Community & Health Manager, Colin Regan, said: “The important support network provided by GAA clubs to their members abroad is well documented.
“Having recently launched our Striving & Surviving in Australia resource at the International Rules game in Perth we are pleased to see Pieta House making available the Mind Ur Buddy programme to GAA members in New York.”
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I’m trying real hard to be understanding here, but why are the Irish who are illegally in a country called “undocumented” whereas if it were a Mexican in the same situation he’d be called (rightly) an illegal immigrant?
(Genuine question, because I’m baffled)
That’s just the nice name the Irish media use. They are, of course, all illegal immigrants. Breaking the law is not encouraged over there, or indeed, over here. If you over stay you visa you should be deported.
I think the general difference is an undocumented person has the right to apply for a right to remain but can’t afford 6 months to a year out of work and the lawyers fees to apply for nationalization.
While an illegal alien would not have that right even if they applied.
They should all be deported and no more about it.
Well said Peter ….Regarding to an instant solution provided by you to deport a 50K illegal/undocumented Irish ( only in America) and do same here for 20K to 26K according to recent and only survey by non government Organization, Will you have an instant solution to cop with that huge number here Mr Brainer?
I believe the term of word undocumented is genuine generated because they have not done any criminal offense , They breach a civil law like traffic law! Definitely you can’t call people breaking traffic law and make an office like breaking the speed limit, traffic lights…..etc are illegal road users, Drivers!!!
The same reason that when a crime is reported, no matter where it occurs, Tallagh, Finglas or Limerick will get a mention if the criminal has ever lived there any any point in his life… and if the criminal is from anywhere else, locations are not so important.
You never hear the words “originally from Dun Laoghaire” on the news.
No criminal offence except being in the US illegally!
why do illegal irish immigrants to the states think they are special?
If they were people from Africa and it was Dublin and not New York then people might have a different opinion.
the sense of entitlement here is something else , illegals here are pests that should be hunted down, irish illegals in the US are pluckly souls that should get gubberment aid
Thats politicians and tge media for you. Most people think these illegals should be deported like anybody else.
I know a guy that was pulled over by police while driving in New York. He is an undocumented Irish man. Obviously not have a NY driving licence, he produced his Irish licence. The cop looked at it and said,”what we got here is 6 pages of bullsh!t” and he let him off! Fair play!
I know an undocumented Irish man who was caught drunk driving and still remained in the country. Not sure how he swung that but I know it was a very horrible time for him
Doesn’t respect the local laws much your friend does he.
He certainly doesn’t. He’s a complete fool. I definitely expected him to be deported but it seems he was never asked about his status despite going through the courts.
The police also know if they take him in he Will be out the next day never to be seen again. Waste of time for them
why the fcuk would you want to be in any country where your afraid to go outside to work or play no wonder you would be depressed.you are making yourself’s depressed people and it’s not going to change it’s the same old story going on for year’s.why not move to a country where you can work and play legal?
Is it worth it? Why not just come home? If they have jobs getting paid well then they are committing criminal acts. Fine and give them papers. If crap job or no job why the hell stay? I don’t get it. Never in million years be it no job at all I wouldn’t travel to another country and hide. Oh the fun of such a life. If those depressed or afraid answer leave. Otherwise shut up.
Well as bartender in NY can make up to 2grand a week in some busy Irish bars around Manhattan during winter. So why come back to a job in Ireland where you are paid a quarter of that?
You can make the same money selling heroin, hardly an excuse for breaking the law is it
Then they should crack down employers who hire illegals. Either give them option to come forward get visa and pay taxes or be booted. No real sympathy for people whose fear is that won’t earn more money if they have to come back. No money is worth looking over shoulder. And the employers should be given certain quota of visas of they choice to use them if and only if they can prove someone who is American or already has work visa can’t do the job. Again no sympathy they brought on themselves and sucideal means that they need to just come home.
Totally get your point. But some cases of which in seen first hand these Irish illegals have social security numbers and are paying full tax taken from their cheque each week. Illegal or not if you pay your fair share of tax more likely the boys in suits will leave you alone.
They need to look in the mirror as it is themselves and nobody else who put them in that situation. There are plenty of Irish people who would like to work in the US but can’t but don’t go their illegally.
Why are they Illegally in the US, they don’t need to be there, they’re not running away from hunger like a Mexican, they’re giving us a bad name. They are there just because they want to and they would do so even if they have to break the law.
They have 30 other countries to migrate legally in Europe without paperwork, and they can migrate legally to Canada and Australia with small paperwork and a preferential treatment, so why the US? I’ve been there is not another planet
The majority of these undocumented are over there long term, ie left during last recession. Have settled over there, made lives for themselves there and probably have lost contact with most people here save for family. There lives/circle of friends are over there. The majority of posters here wouldn’t have been in that position hence the negativity.
Derek you are correct. It is tough not being able to come home to see loved ones especially at this time of year. There is a constant worry about parents’ health knowing that if your folks die, you won’t be able to go to the funeral. Stressful life being undocumented in the us or oz.
It’s self inflicted. If they hadn’t broken the law and applied properly for residency, funerals amd Christmas wouldn’t be an issue.
As I said, mostly comments/redthumbs from people who have no idea what they’re talking about. Same applies to migrants from all nationalitys. Trying to better your life can be described as “self inflicted” from an ignorant perspective, by the way very very few stay in US if they can’t get work, no hand outs there.
Applying for residency didn’t guarantee getting the green card. It was a lottery based system.
It’s because we’re irish ,
Isn’t the word illegal a give away?
They’re breaking the law there.
Why the sob stories.
There may be individual cases of hardship but Ireland is the same as Somalia.
Funny thing is most are probably paying tax if they were ever legal to pay it in the first place! It suits the government! You have a worker who contributes but is not entitled to any of the privileges or aid a citizen gets!
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