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 promise of immigration reform benefiting the undocumented Irish in America took a quiet but very important step forward in Washington, D.C. last week with a pivotal meeting between Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Ciaran Staunton, president of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) and South Carolina Ancient Order of Hibernians board member Jim Lawracy.

The Irish population in America should rally around immigration reform, said Micheal Martin, Minister for Foreign Affairs, in New York on Saturday. Reform will take place in the first three months of 2010, and the question of undocumented Irish will be part of a comprehensive review of the immigration system.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

President Obama apparently had someone else in mind before he made Pittsburgh Steelers boss Dan Rooney the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland.

The packed crowd at the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform meeting in Yonkers last week, including a sea of new faces, points out yet again the importance of the immigration lobby organization.

THERE was standing room only at Rory Dolan’s Irish restaurant in Yonkers on Wednesday, May 6, at an immigration meeting hosted by the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform. “There’s nothing going on in Ireland anymore. There are no jobs,” said Alan, 25, a native of Co. Limerick who has been working in New York for the past four months. “They say things are bad here, but I’ve still managed to find construction work. Not a hope of that in Ireland. There will be plenty more Irish coming over here very soon because it’s so bad. I hope ILIR is able to do something for them, and me.”

There was standing room only at Rory Dolan’s in Yonkers on Wednesday as the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform held a public meeting for the undocumented.

Ireland urgently needs to “harness the global Diaspora and to pull together high achievers from many different countries” says Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin in an exclusive interview with IrishCentral.com.

AFL/CIO boss John Sweeney is “very optimistic” on achieving comprehensive immigration reform and wants to meet Irish groups on ways to bring it about. Sweeney, the son of Irish immigrants who settled in The Bronx spoke in an exclusive interview with Irish

The decision by Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter to change parties from the GOP to the Democrats bodes well for immigration reform, especially if the move provides a filibuster proof majority on the Democratic bill in the senate.

Senator Charles Schumer of New York has never lacked the stomach for a fight, but this time he has picked himself a doozy.

Senator Charles Schumer of New York will hold the first hearing on the issue of immigration reform on Thursday, April 30 in Washington, D.C.

When it comes to immigration reform, President Obama is showing that he does not shirk a challenge

The Irish undocumented have warmly welcomed the news that the Obama administration will address the issue of immigration reform in the next couple of months. Many of them have been living in the U.S. for many years and haven’t been home in a very long time.

In a move that will be welcomed by the 50,000 undocumented Irish in the U.S., John Sweeney, the Irish-American leader of the labor union

A large crowd gathered at the Irish Cultural Center of New England in Canton, Massachusetts on Monday night to hear from the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR).

The Obama administration is to kick start a new debate on immigration reform - legislation could happen in the fall. On Wednesday, a White House official said that the President would begin examining ways in which undocumented workers could gain a path to citizenship. The President reportedly wants a "policy reform that controls immigration and makes it an orderly system.”

Over 350 Boston Irish braved a dark dreary evening to come to the Irish Cultural Center of New England in Canton, MA for a meeting on immigration. The meeting had been organized by the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR)

The appointment of New York Senator Charles Schumer to head the Senate's immigration subcommittee is a major step in the right direction for immigration reform. Though he takes over from Senator Edward Kennedy, who will be a hard act to follow, Schumer has shown an amazing ability to deliver on issues that he cares deeply about. Immigration reform is clearly one of those issues.

  New York's Senator Charles Schumer is the new chairman of the Senate Immigration-Sub

The well-known Irish immigration advocate Bart Murphy is taking over as chairman of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR). Murphy, who sits on the board of the American Ireland Fund and is the chair of the coalition of Irish Immigration Centers, is one of theoriginal ILIR board members. He will be taking over from current chairman Niall O'Dowd.

Have a question or need advice about U.S. or Ireland immigration laws? Look no further than IrishCentral’s resident immigration expert, Debbie McGoldrick.

"I AM leaving the U.S. this summer to return home to Ireland.

"I AM from Ireland. I have lived in the U.S.

THE new fees for most immigration benefits available through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) will become effective on July 30, the agency announced on Tuesday.

HAVE you noticed an increase in immigration related spam in your emails? "U.S. Citizenship Here" is but one that's been frequenting our mailbox lately, and of course it's not hard to know why, given that the Senate is currently deep in debate about immigration reform legislation.

"I am looking for some information as what to do now. I was so sure I would be on the way to legalization by now. I have been here 11 years and have tried every lottery, spoken to lawyers and I'm still stuck in the same situation.

NOW that the race for the White House is officially on as the two major parties have settled on their candidates, what kind of importance to they attach to the issue of immigration reform?

A good place to figure this all-important question out is by visiting their campaign websites and going to their positions on various issues. Barack Obama's was easily enough to find, as it came alphabetically under "immigration," but John McCain, a champion of comprehensive reform in the Senate prior to his run for the presidency, lays his position out under the header "border security." See what aspiring to a higher office can do to a politician!

Anyway, Obama's fairly detailed platform makes his position clear - he's all for comprehensive immigration reform.

Immigrant rights have become one of the largest civil rights issues of our era, with the undocumented playing the moving targets. In The Visitor, the latest film from award-winning Irish American actor/director Thomas McCarthy, the filmmaker explores both sides of an explosive national debate. CAHIR O'DOHERTY speaks to McCarthy about the film.

SENATOR Edward Kennedy, 76, who was diagnosed with brain cancer on Tuesday, is in the thoughts of Irish Americas around the country, and fans of the Kennedy family in Ireland.An Irish government spokesperson said the Irish Ambassador to Washington, Michael Collins, had been in contact with the Kennedys since the senator's admission to hospital to express the government's concern.On Tuesday Irish American leaders responded to the shocking news.

Ciaran Staunton, vice chairman of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR), met with Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain for a private half hour meeting - also attended by members of the AOH - in advance of the Irish Presidential Forum on Monday morning.

"I spoke about the immigration issue which I found he was very well briefed on," Staunton told the Irish Voice.

"He talked about the work he had done with Senator Kennedy in trying to pass an immigration reform bill.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's written responses to a questionnaire on Irish issues submitted by the Irish American Unity Conference (IAUC) and the Ancient Order of Hibernians have been warmly welcomed by the two Irish American organizations.

Asked if his administration would designate a representative or ambassador to the peace process in Northern Ireland, Obama replied in an official statement that he would, and that he would be personally involved whenever required.

After what he called extensive consultations with prominent Irish Americans, and informal soundings with British and Irish officials, Obama affirmed his intention to appoint a special envoy to the north.

Have you noticed an increase in immigration related spam in your emails? “U.S. Citizenship Here” is but one that’s been frequenting our mailbox lately, and of course it’s not hard to know why, given that the Senate is currently deep in debate about immigration reform legislation.

For fiscal year 2005, which concluded on September 30 of that year, guess which nation was issued more green cards – Ireland or Syria? Or how about Ireland or Iran?

The system of Irish emigration to the U.S. has been broken since 1965. For over 44 years it has been nothing short of a haphazard, sporadic mess that, every now and then, has been temporarily tidied up by once-off fixes such as the Donnelly and Morrison visa programs.

"I SPENT exactly 90 days in the U.S. last summer.

THE 2008 Democratic presidential contest will surely go down as one of the most exciting and groundbreaking in history.

The Democrats will nominate either an African American or a woman for president, an incredible break with the past and a timely reminder of how far the U.S.