Trying to help the undocumented Irish in an earlier generation

So many here are living in an era decades ago. Teddy Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and multitudes of other Americans of Irish descent as well as members and officials of the Democratic Party supported the 1965 Immigration Bill. Those living in NY then must have been in the bars, so ignorant they appear to have been of the run up to its passage. Water will under the bridge.

Thanks to the Irish Voice for this very informative article. The Irish community in the NYC area needs to be reminded of the untiring efforts on behalf of new arrivals and would-be immigrants from Ireland by Judge John Collins, City Councuilman-at-large Paul O'Dywer and Carmelite Fr. Dónal O'Callaghan. I happened to attend a social at St. Simon of Stock church hall in the Bronx in late April of 67 and personally spoke with Fr. O'Callaghan (Ph.D.) who voiced his deep concern about the "closing the door to immigrants from Ireland". If this priest who worked so hard on behalf of Irish causes had received the backing he deserves, it is highly probable that the U.S. door to to Irish immmigrants would NOT be so tightly closed now.

undocumented=illegal. illegal=law breaker, doesn't hold any regard for the laws of the US. Meanwhile 50 MILLION people world wide are waiting to go to the US LEGALLY. They are the ones who should be embraced. Lawbreakers should be deported.

As evidenced by the Kennedys and other many Americans of Irish descent who supported this, there was no one uniform app;roach by Americans of Irish descent contrary to what many in the US would want to believe.

@hermitTalker - I agree with you that when immigrants are embraced by our economy, Our Nation has thrived. The fact that they are being forced into a shadow world now prevents the country from fully benefiting from their talents, drive and energy. It seems that those already here have often been reluctant to share their blessings with newcomers. Those that are too comfortable in their settled ways and success are the least likely to spur the innovation and investment of time and energy necessary to grow the economy. The immigrants have always come and will continue to come. The only doubt for our future is will America prosper by embracing them or flounder by ignoring them.

I was 16 at the time and worried about girls, cars, grades and girls so this bit of geo-politics escaped my attention. I wonder what my father (his grandfather came over in 1850) thought of the matter. I know that he was constantly seeking his Irish heritage and had visited Ireland while he was stationed in Britain during WWII. I'm sure it would not have escaped his attention as he was a staunch republican, and talked politics a lot with his friends. I look forward to inproving my education with the next two installments. Thanks IC for this history lesson and I would appreciate many more. I am sure that many who normally read and comment here are well versed in this part of Irish-American history and I hoppe that they will add their valued memories to the mix.

Teddy Kennedy supported and signed the 1965 Immigrantion Act and his brother Robert supported it.

The entire immigration system in the USA needs a top to bottom reform, with political selfishness dropped: warring over the Hispanic vote, and dropping the fake fears on over-population. There is room in Texas with space to spare to house the world's population, experts have shown and economies improve with population growth. The current policy is hypocritical, farms need immigrant workers and that improves the economy, legalising them would help taxes. The pro-aborts and Chicken Little Malthusians have too much sway. Building the entire US and Third World/developing economies with the billions spent for war and its weapons at present.