The undocumented Irish community in the U.S. received a major boost today with the announcement from the White House that it will push forward with a legalization program. Homeland Security boss Janet Napolitano said the Obama administration is seeking a "tough but fair pathway to earned legal status."

The undocumented Irish have picked up a key new supporter in Congress. Congressman Bill Delahunt (D-MA) has pledged to support the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform and its efforts on behalf of the undocumented Irish in the U.S.

The numbers of undocumented Irish people being deported from America have risen again over the past 12 months. A total of 117 people were deported in the year to September 2009, up from 94 the previous year.

SECRETARY of State Hillary Clinton has made it crystal clear in her visit to Ireland that she and the Obama administration are giving the Irish peace process a very high priority indeed. It is also very welcome that she dropped the ludicrous “no special deal” nonsense when she talked about the undocumented Irish and the need to address that issue.

The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheal Martin, is meeting with members of Congress in Washington Wednesday and promises to highlight the plight of the Irish undocumented in the U.S. Martin, who arrived in Washington Wednesday for a four-day visit, is expected to discuss the issue of the estimated 50,000 undocumented Irish with members of both Houses of Congress later today.

Hillary Clinton met with Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Brian Cowen and President Mary McAleese and discussed the situation of Irish undocumented in the U.S. as well as Northern Ireland and global economic issues.

Undocumented Irish immigrants have been given new reason to hope that immigration reform is on President Obama's agenda. This follows a report in The New York Times that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agency has quietly begun preparing for an expected upsurge in its workload.

It was his handshake I’ll never forget, solid and strong. The event was an Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) rally in Washington D.C. in March 2006. Although I was slightly intimidated by the enormity of the situation and those all around me, I was somewhat comforted by the presence of Senator Ted Kennedy and his vivacious handshake.

So, the Irish government is planning to give the U.S.-Ireland Alliance some $25 million over the next few years, according to Batt O'Keefe, the minister for education there.

Senator Edward Kennedy - who freely acknowledged that his own family would not be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. now - was a real champion for the undocumented Irish.

Former Irish political prisoner and Maze escapee Pol Brennan was shackled as he was deported on Friday to the Republic of Ireland, where he says he intends to remain “for quite a while” before deciding whether to return to Northern Ireland.

Former IRA prisoner Pol Brennan was deported on Friday to the Republic of Ireland. The 56-year-old, who has lived in the U.S. for over 25 years, was flown to Norfolk, Virginia on a U.S. Customs and Border Protection aircraft on Thursday before continuing on to Limerick, Ireland the next day.

A leading member of the AOH has blasted calls from Northern Ireland to jail former IRA man and Maze escapee Pol

After 17 months behind bars in Texas, a former IRA prisoner who has lived in the U.S. for over 25 years is due to be deported to Ireland at the end of this week -- and is facing more jail time in Ireland if Northern Ireland politician Jeffrey Donaldson has anything to do with it.

On a visit to Mexico on Monday, President Barack Obama told reporters that immigration reform would have to wait until next year, although movement will begin on the contentious issue in fall.

Undocumented Irish immigrants in the U.S. are cautiously optimistic about immigration reform after President Barack Obama said he would provide a "pathway to citizenship" for illegal immigrants. Speaking in Mexico yesterday, President Barack Obama said he wanted to provide a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

The hopes of the Irish undocumented rose today amid reports from Washington that activists have stepped up their efforts for comprehensive immigration reform. They are calling on President Barack Obama to introduce legislation this

If New York Senator Charles Schumer has anything to do with it, the estimated 50,000 Irish undocumented in the U.S. will have an immigration bill to look forward to by the end of this year or early next.

There is new hope for the thousands of undocumented Irish in the U.S. with the news that Senator Charles Schumer intends to have a comprehensive immigration reform bill ready by Labor Day. Schumer (D-NY), who replaced Senator Edward Kennedy as the chair of the immigration sub-committee, is steering an immigration overhaul through the Senate. "I think we'll have a good bill by Labor Day," said Schumer, D-N.Y. "I think the fundamental building blocks are in place to do comprehensive immigration reform."

Hope springs anew in the never-ending battle to win comprehensive immigration reform in the United States. The latest development saw President Barack Obama finally convene a top-level meeting of congressional leaders and key staffers to discuss how the issue might move ahead.

The visiting U.S. Congressional party to Ireland met with a delegation from the Ulster Political Research Group (UPRG) to discuss the possibility of former Loyalist prisoners being granted visas to the United States.

There’s little hope for a bi-lateral deal between Ireland and the U.S. for the approximately 50,000 undocumented Irish workers in the States, according to a leading American congresswoman in Dublin Tuesday.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen, Tanaiste Brian Lenihan and President Mary McAleese will meet a group of U.S. Congressmen led by Richie Neal Monday to discuss undocumented Irish workers in the United States, Northern Ireland and the global economic crisis.

Senator Charles Schumer, [D-N.Y.] wants the government to stand up and be counted on illegal immigration into the United States.

President Barack Obama promised a complete overhaul of the immigration system at the Esperanza National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. today.

In the wake of the death of Irish immigrant Darren O’Donnell, Irish immigration centers in New York are calling for all the undocumented not to hesitate to seek medical help if they are injured.

Former IRA prisoner Pol Brennan pulled off a great escape this week as the Department of Homeland Security abruptly canceled his deportation saying they needed more time to review his case. Brennan, who escaped from the infamous Maze Prison in 1983 had been due to be deported back to Northern Ireland last week.