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DONALD TRUMP’S COMMENTS on immigration sparked concern for the undocumented Irish living in the US throughout his campaign, now that he has been elected, that concern has turned to fear.
The Republican regularly stated his plans to track down and deport illegal US residents if he became president.
In an interview with CNN in August, Trump was asked if he would deport those who have lived in the US peacefully but without papers, he said:
There is a very good chance the answer could be yes … we’re going to see what happens.
US Immigration Attorney with USAVisaNow.net Caro Kinsella told TheJournal.ie that she’s hoping he didn’t mean everything he said:
I’m hoping what he stated during the campaign was just to get votes, the first speech he gave after being elected was much calmer. He’s a businessman so he may have just been selling something to the public to get votes.
Between 11 and 12 million illegal immigrants are believed to be living in the US, some 50,000 of those are understood to be Irish. During his campaign the Republican outlined three ways that he wanted to deal with illegal immigrants.
He said he planned to take away the birthright of US citizenship from children whose parents are illegal, referring to them as ‘anchor babies’.
He also said he wanted to cut federal funding to the 300 sanctuary cities in the US that adopt policies designed not to prosecute people solely for being undocumented.
Describing Trump’s other promise to have a mass deportation within his first 100 days in office, Kinsella said, “A mass deportation is physically and technically not possible – it was done for shock and awe.
She said the system would be overloaded as there are millions of undocumented people in the US and the system simply wouldn’t be able to tolerate it.
Yes people can be deported – but the thought of pulling people from their sleep and jobs is not going to happen.First they go through the deportation centre and then they have the right to a hearing before an immigration judge and the right to fight their case and discuss the reliefs available to them.
‘People are afraid’
“It makes me very nervous to be honest with you. It’s nervous times and worrying times ahead.”
Mike from Donegal has been living in New York illegally for the past 23 years. He explained to Drivetime on RTÉ Radio 1:
I came here as a young fella when I was 19 years of age. You don’t have any thoughts, I just came over travelling and ended up staying.
“Now I’m married to an Irish girl from Donegal and I have three American kids aged 13, 12 and 5.”
Asked if he’s worried that he could be deported, Mike said, “I can’t say it’s not going to happen, it’s possible. There’s no point in me saying I’m not worried, I am.
“He’s in and nothing can be done about it and nothing can be changed … the only people who can help us is the Irish Government.”
Kinsella said she has witnessed this type of concern steadily increasing over the past year in the shadow of Trump’s threats.
“We were getting a flurry of emails and calls every time the media reported something he said. Their question was, ‘If Trump gets in, how will that effect my case?’
In the last 12 months it has been gathering momentum. People have been getting more and more anxious and since he’s won, that concern exponentially increased.
Executive Director of Chicago Irish Immigrant Support, Michael Collins reiterated this to TheJournal.ie and stated how, “The two months preceding the election have been extremely busy for our legal program.
People are afraid. The past two months, and in the days since the election, we have had a higher than usual amount of immigration inquiries … we have also gotten calls from Irish immigrants who are now looking to return home.
“I anticipate this to increase dramatically over the coming weeks. People will try to get their paperwork in order before he takes office.”
Uncertainty
With the future looking uncertain for many Irish who have set up their lives in America, what is the Irish government doing to help?
Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Simon Coveney said the government will continue to advocate for the millions of undocumented Irish, saying, “We will work with you.”
When asked by TheJournal.ie what the Irish government planned to do, Coveney said:
We will continue to work with those people regardless of the administration in the US and we will continue to advocate on Capitol Hill, in the Senate, as we have done, and in the White House.
“The relationship between Irish people abroad and Irish people at home needs to be a strong one and this government has a responsibility towards those people and we take it very seriously.”
When asked if the negotiations between the American and Irish governments to bring about more rights for the undocumented Irish are dead in the water, Coveney said:
“Well, look let’s wait see. I think we shouldn’t jump to conclusions based on a campaign, as I have said, that has been very divisive and difficult. I think we need to judge Donald Trump now on how he behaves and what he says as a president and let’s wait and see where that takes us.”
Ireland’s first emigrant senator, Billy Lawless, empathised with the undocumented Irish, saying, “They do not know what the future holds or whether they are safe.”
He added that the Vice-President Elect has a great affinity for Ireland and was one of the few Republican congressman to advocate for common sense immigration reform.
“Mike Pence is a key figure in the Trump administration and Minister Flanagan must do all that he can to engage him.”
Lecturer in Migration Studies at University College Cork, Dr Piaras Mac Éinrí, told TheJournal.ie:
“There was a time when the undocumented Irish fighting for recognition in the States had to decide whether to fight for recognition as a special case compared to other minority groups, or to fight alongside them for status.
The Irish had that extra bit of clout because of political and business leaders with Irish connections – such as McCain but those days are gone now.
If a cold wind starts blowing about undocumented migrants, then there’s no reason to believe that the Irish will get a special deal.
Caro Kinsella also added that it’s really important to try and stay calm.
Trump may not do anything. He may just have wanted the media attention. It’s a great way to get publicity and he might have been saying it to fund his campaign.
However, she also urged people to make sure they are on the best visa for them and to get their documentation in order.
“My key advice is act now, don’t procrastinate, understand your visa. Make sure you’re on the strongest visa for your needs – don’t just go with one because your friend is on it.
“Also, don’t leave it to the last minute to extend your visa or change it – do it in advance as there may be delays in processing visas, a lot more people are anxious and are applying for visas.”
Additional reporting by Christina Finn.
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Emigration claims another victim.
She’ll have to wait years for the Lyon’s tea and Tayto crisps to be posted to her.
There will be lesz of a waiting list up there I reckon
Actual proof that there is one born every minute. Most elaborate planned suicide I have ever heard of.
And that one is you John. She knows what this entails, it’s not like she’s signing up devil may care.
Muppet comment.
ha ha…. I’ll tell you what Eric… I’ll pay for your ticket.
How does she know what it entails Eric? No one on this planet has ever been in the situation of leaving and never coming back. It may happen sometime but it won’t be anytime soon. This whole pile of crap is only publicity for an up and coming reality show. If you think any differently you really do deserve to be on it!
The novelty will wear off after about 5 minutes. She is going to a rock with a group of people she doesn’t know to live out the rest of her days doing Sweet Fanny Adams. That sounds like a prison sentence to me.
Completely agree. It’s a life sentence.
People with zero sense of adventure will never understand this kind of endeavour. There is no way to explain it to you.
@cpm…. a very short life sentence.
If there’s one thing I cannot be accused of, it’s having no sense of adventure. I spent two years after Uni travelling. I’ve been to every continent with the exception of Antarctica, working all manner of odd jobs along the way. l also emigrated from home 3 years ago during which time I’ve lived in 2 different cities and worked 3 different jobs. I’d say I’m more adventurous than most; but a rock with no oxygen, no family, no friends, no hope of ever coming home and the absence of anything to preoccupy myself with…call me crazy… but it just doesn’t do it for me!
That’s not adventure. You just did the same things millions of others have done. These colonists will have opportunities do do things that no other human has done. Every day will offer the potential for any one of them to be the first person to discover sonething new.
Any scientist or artist who has created or disovered something new and unique has experienced more adventure than you are likely to in your entire life.
For those who think that way, this trip is a no brainer. It is bigger than themselves, their friends and their families. These people think bigger than you do.
Sorry Jimbo, I didn’t realise you’re the foremost authority on for what qualifies as adventure, do you need to have watched every episode of Star Trek to get that qualification?! You said I had “zero” sense of adventure. I merely pointed out that I had more sense of adventure than most. Don’t get me wrong – I’m very happy there are people who are crazy and brave enough to undertake a one way trip to Mars, just pointing out that it will be a very boring affair unless you’re into rocks. And btw I studied at IADT and happen to be quite decent with a paint brush so you can get down off your high horse.
“didn’t realise you’re the foremost authority on for what qualifies as adventure”
I’m certainly not. But I know who is. Every single person with the courage to sign up for this mission. Every one of the 200k+ people who did that are more courageous and adventurous than you or I.
This’ll never take off
4.4 Billion to go n start messing about on another planet, wouldn’t that be better spent trying to fix the mess that’s been made here first?
Mind you, if she took a few crates of Guinness along she could open the first Irish pub!
You do realise that it is personal wealth being used to find this?
Finance
LMAO 4.4 billion is a drop in the ocean compared to the 100 billion europe wastes every year in its failing attempts to save this planet.
I can’t see this project going ahead, it’s pure madness! Yes it’s great to dream a dream blah blah blah etc, but we don’t even have colonies on the moon yet, or bottom of the sea. Surely it’s crucial to take those steps first before this is even remotely possible. Advances need to be made in so many different fields before this is even feasible. Then there’s the big brother type situation, with boredom, fighting, and no prospect of even getting out and selling your story to the Sun.
What makes the moon or the bottom of the see the logical next step?
This project is less of a longshot than putting man on the moon was in the 1960s. All of the technology they need already exists. They don’t even have to bring them back.
It is not trivial, but humans have completed bigger conquests than this.
Are you serious? Why is the moon not the next logical step? Come on, really? The logistics of setting up there provide an obvious learning curve for setting up a Colony on a distant and hostile environment. The recent search for the Malaysian Airlines flight at the bottom of the sea illustrates how difficult it is to access a place only a few miles beyond our reach. If we have problems with that, I can’t see Mars being to easy. Furthermore the technology situation isn’t our only limiting factor, there’s also the whole isolation, boredom and cabin fever type situations.
*too easy
“The logistics of setting up there provide an obvious learning curve for setting up a Colony on a distant and hostile environment”
No. The only advantage to going to the moon is that it is closer. It is a more hostile environment. At least Mars has limited protection from radiation and extreme temperatures, the moon has none. The moon has less gravity, so we’d have to overcome the problem of bone and muscle loss that is yet to be solved and having to go there first will considerably increase the overall cost of getting to Mars!
If anything we should be going to Mars as a first step to learn some of the lessons we’d need to learn to be able to live on the moon!
Using the moon as a stepping stone has been analysed to death and it has been rejected.
An Irish woman going to mars? Will she be sure to bring a box of celebrations and a bottle of 7up
Don’t forget the box of Barry’s tea!
And a box of Tayto
Might be better off starting with a moon base first. One step at a time.
Good luck to whoever makes it, true pioneers…assuming it ever gets going.
It’s a god awful small affair, to the girl in the mousey hair , her mother is yelling no , and her father has told her to go….and then it’ll all kick off with cavemen fighting on the dance floor and what not , the whole thing is maddening bore , heard it tens times before , or something..
Mind your manners if u have nothing nice to say than i suggest u keep ur nasty comment yourself
Who you talking shite about ….what Nasty comment?? , it’s lyrics to the David Bowie song is there life on Mars?? ….idiot
I really don’t think this project will go ahead.
Im up for adventure but if this ever goes ahead it has the making of a horror film. Fighting, bouts of insanity, realisation they will all die.
A lot of ignorant fools commenting today I see.
Why single out today? lol
You can cut the ignorance and short sightedness of commenters here with a knife. The education system has truly failed them… especially the idiot who thinks there is a face on mars.
Insults jimbo
The sign of a poor education
No Glen, a sign of a poor education is lacking basic critical thinking skills. Believing spooky stuff through because it’s more interesting to you than reality is not the product of an educated mind. Especially when you have to back it up with further belief in conspiracy theories.
Are you a lunar hoaxer and 911 troofer too? Probably.
Good luck to het if you are at heart an explorer it’s the chance of a lifetime
What if she gets pregnant?? What happens there, I wonder
She doesn’t get pregnant.
Has anyone stopped to think what the Martians think about all this ?
I mean seriously humans have done such a outstanding job on planet Earth I doubt we will be welcomed with open arms.
And don’t tell me it’s not inhabited someone built the face and the pyramid, what you guys didn’t know about the pyramid ??? Google is your friend.
Critical thinking is clearly not yours. You are an ignoramus.
Jimbo
Why so insulting ?
People don’t really call you jimbo do they ?
Because you are contributing to the mass of ignorance on the internet.
Really ?
Evidence for what I said has been around long before the WWW
Its been covered in many books. I’m assuming you know what a book is.
I know exactly what you are talking about. An early pre-viking image taken of the surface of mars, which due to shadow formations and mountains appeared to look like a face.
More recent pictures show that without the shadow formation it looks absolutely nothing like a face.
Try getting your information from credible sources.
There is a formation in galle crater that looks like kermit the frog. You going to tell me the martians built that too?
The human brain is wired to find patterns. Especially faces. There are random patterns all over mars just like there are on earth.
Jimbo
What mainstream sources failed to tell you was that’s not all it found. Thats just what it showed the people but over time it all leaked out and the full pictures of what was found in the area of Cydonia is available including one seriously huge pyramid. The contriversey about the face was to keep people like you from asking questions and it worked baaahhhh
LMAO. You really are seriously gullible.
Jimbo instead of mouthing out of you why don’t you offer the proof I’m wrong
Anytime you’re ready
Do you also beLIEve the martians built a monument to Kermit the frog? Is that another NASA conspiracy.
What gauge of aluminium do you use in your tin foil hat?
Jimbo
You are the first person to talk about Kermit ever
You’re boring me now
Where is that proof by the way
Yeah, I’ll bet you often get bored after having your @rse handed to you.
Do you look for meaning in clouds? You know, yesterday someone snapped a picture of a cloud shaped like Ireland. Spooky huh? Must be Marians…. or maybe Venetians :-O
I think she is very brave.
well done sister maybe first cork woman to go to mars. our late father and mother would be proud of you
well done sis
Good Luck Catherine Mary McGrath and Joseph Roche…
Steve Menaa
Didn’t know 7up and Celebrations were Irish…
The weird thing about space travel to a far away solar system, is that the later you leave, the sooner you’ll arrive! As technology improves you’ll only keep passing out the rockets you sent earlier.
It’s a premature unnecessary evil! Yeah it’s something that has never been done before but I think it’s wrong to ask someone to willingly sail away into a certain lonely death! I’d well believe people would do it to “better” the human race or in a spirit of extreme competition but those asking are selfish. Why don’t we spend another 40-50 years developing hyper speed space travel so we can send them there and back in no time and show a little restraint, we don’t really need to go to the red planet.
have your say