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Irish American community welcomes new Schumer proposal on immigration reform

By
KELLY FINCHAM,
IrishCentral.com Editor
Published Friday, April 30, 2010, 8:07 AM
Updated Saturday, May 1, 2010, 10:30 AM

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The Irish American community have given a warm welcome to the new immigration reform plan coming out of the Senate.

Democratic Senators Charles Schumer (NY), Robert Menendez (NJ) and Harry Reid (NV) have drafted a proposal that would legalize undocumented immigrants in the U.S and also provide new employment-based visas.

However, the legalization program would be delayed until so-called benchmarks are reached involving border security.

Ciaran Staunton, the President of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, said the bill was a long-overdue first step in restoring the Irish American community and he paid tribute to Senator Schumer.

"Schumer has always been a good friend to the Irish in New York," he said. "We deeply appreciate all his heart-felt work for us on the issue."

The "RSM" proposal would provide temporary Green Cards to illegal immigrants who register with the authorities.

The plan also includes a high-tech ID card for immigrant workers and "tough sanctions" against U.S. employers who hire illegal immigrants.

Democrats hope to attract Republican support by being tough on the border.

Staunton said this meant the ILIR would be renewing its efforts to reach out to Republican Senators.

Just Thursday, Staunton led a key ILIR delegation to meet with Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) in the Capitol.

The "RSM" proposal is a direct response to the furor over Arizona's new immigration law, which some have criticized as "racial profiling," and would also prevent states and local governments from creating their own immigration laws.

Speaking in Washington Thursday, Reid said, "Democrats and Republicans can all agree that our immigration system is broken," and called for bipartisan cooperation to fix it.

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10 Comments

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rpmschevy | May 03, 2010, 03:48 PM EDT
Everyone, or almost everyone in DC is pandering and care almost nothing about minorities or others, unless it gets them re-elected. Schumer, come on, like, Patty Murray and Ron Wyden are on power trips and love to hoard it over us. We do not need immigration reform. We need the law to be enforced, plain and simple.

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Felicia | May 02, 2010, 05:52 AM EDT
colkelley and beachline, I agree with you completely. This Governor passing this law has awaken a sleeping giant. Now the politicians want to play games with the legal citizens with all their proposals. Proposals are words, we need action and have laws in place to do something about it already! They say that the American workers don't want to do jobs that the Hispanics are known for doing. How can they if they are hiring illegals! In the Arizona News it said that ICE rounded up 300 illegal workers at Pro Market stores and guess what, 300 LEGAL citizens now have those jobs.

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FastEddy | Apr 30, 2010, 09:14 PM EDT
" "Schumer has always been a good friend to the Irish in New York," he said. "We deeply appreciate all his heart-felt work for us on the issue." " ... especially this close to another election. Schumer is a pandering politico ... No telling how much it will cost the Irish community to get him to follow through. I'm would bet a poke in the eye against a double Jamey that He will string you all along until next January before he hits you all up for some cash.

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howareya | Apr 30, 2010, 09:04 PM EDT
Well, Plastic Paddy, if my mother and father were denied legal entry here, they would have stayed in Ireland. We have laws for a reason. There are many, many countries where there are poor people that have even worse situations than Mexicans (see slaughters in South African countries). Should we take all the poor and oppressed that want to come in? They surveyed one Mexican town and 95% of the people there wanted to come to the U.S. And if you believe that immigration reform that gives amnesty and then says they will fortify the borders..then you are a dreamer! They promised that when Reagan gave amnesty..did they do it...NO! They gave the amnesty and then millions more people came illegally! You think that won't happen again? Arizona has been begging the Federal Govt. for help and they were ignored. They finally took it into their own hands and everyone is upset. For God's sake...will our government ever do what is the best for her own people!!!

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plasticpaddy | Apr 30, 2010, 06:15 PM EDT
"the Democrats currently undertaking a Socialist agenda in America in opposition to the wishes of the majority of Americans. Colkelley, grow up and read a book, stop misusing the word socialism, you clearly have no idea what it means and only come across as ignorant, misinformed and uneducated!

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plasticpaddy | Apr 30, 2010, 06:13 PM EDT
Yes LizFlady they did it legally because they could be merely sponsored by someone here or by an employer, those options have been whittled away to the point where they are almost entirely impossible as a method for immigrations. It is highle likely most people of your ancestors generation would now be refused entry and that is what you are supporting a life where you might have been bought up elsewhere. Your argument simply ignores too many realities for the sake of convenience!

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gregwb57 | Apr 30, 2010, 05:51 PM EDT
I know how to take care of the DWI problem, Lets just make drinking and driving legal! An illegal immigrant is just that, an illigal immigrant!!

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Watchman | Apr 30, 2010, 01:30 PM EDT
Let's hope Senator Schumer doesn't read the comment sections of Irish Central.

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LizFlady | Apr 30, 2010, 11:19 AM EDT
Anyone is welcome here if you come into the country legally. By doing that, you pass health screening which insures protection agains foreign diseases, A background check which insures you not a criminal that will only cause us problems, and it's assured you'll have a place to lay your head and a job that will insure that in coming here i don't have to support you financially. Our country was built on refugee's coming here to etch out a better life for themselves, but our ancestors did it legally. There was no such thing anymore as TB, now it's rampant as are a number of diseases that we had wiped out completely. Our government needs to get back into the business of protecting it's citizens.

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beachline | Apr 30, 2010, 09:56 AM EDT
I think the only reason any immigration bill even got this far is because the Governor of Arizona got fed up with waiting for the Washington politicians to do their job. Immigration has been a source of discussion and contention for decades, but, it has been politically expedient and profitable for big business to allow illegal immigration for their own personal gain, and since most of the Wash. politicians have deep vested interests in various businesses, they even rewarded American companies by allowing them to go overseas to avoid taxes in the USA, and use low cost labor. If tax incentives were given to these companies to stay in the USA, we would not have double digit unemployment today. GOOD FOR ARIZONA GOVERNOR FOR LIGHTING A FIRE UNDER WASHINGTON!!

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colkelley | Apr 30, 2010, 09:23 AM EDT
Let's stop making this "politically correct" and stop using "undocumented immigrant" when the correct term is "illegal alien." That means these people are criminals in the ongoing process of committing a crime by failing to comply with immigration law. Why reward people for failing to obey the law and ducking under the legal requirements of existing immigration law when so many other law-abiding people who want to become Americans (not live permanently as foreigners in America) actually take the time and effort to start on the path as law-abiding American citizens? My Irish ancestors arrived in 1632 (McQuillen) and 1698 (Kelley) but my sons are half-Filipino from a first-generation LEGAL immigrant family. Their Grandfather served 32 years in the U.S. Army before, during, and after WW2 to earn his status as a citizen. Reform should consist of allowing illegal aliens to apply for legal status and submit to a background check both in America and in their country of origin. Those who qualify for application to become legal immigrants should be allowed to do so with two years added to the current seven-year process as a penalty for their illegal status. Those whose backgrounds disqualify them should be immediately and permanently deported. The Democrats only want sweeping immediate legalization of criminal illegal aliens because they believe that most of them will vote to continue the Democrats currently undertaking a Socialist agenda in America in opposition to the wishes of the majority of Americans.

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