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.

During his visit to the U.S. last week, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin announced the allocation of $2.68 million in grants for Irish organizations throughout the U.S. The Emigrant Support Program, managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs, provides the grants.

New York local politics will get a major Irish boost on Tuesday when Deirdre Feerick, a second-generation Irish American, squares off against two other Irish-American candidates in the September 15 Democratic primary election in Queens to succeed well known Council Member Eric Gioia who has endorsed her.

We here at IrishCentral took on the painstaking job of staring at countless images of attractive Irish men and women to determine the 10 hottest. And now here they are: the Hottest 10 Out of Ireland – enjoy!

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.

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.

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

He lived here undocumented for 12 years, heeded the call of family in Ireland and returned home, but now he’s back in New York, and back for good. Irish immigrant Tom talks about why he made the move once again to the Big Apple, a place he now proudly calls “home.”

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.

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

We here at IrishCentral took on the painstaking job of staring at countless images of attractive Irish men and women to determine the 10 hottest. And now here they are: the Hottest 10 Out of Ireland – enjoy!

  Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowen will use his forthcoming trip to New York and the White House to promote Irish trade and investment and to highlight the plight of the Irish undocumented living

"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.

"WHY are so many Irish illegal? Have they stopped issuing visas? I applied for a green card in 1990 and we got it in 1992, and after five years we applied for citizenship. We were granted citizenship in 2003.

What is going on with all of these stories of illegals that I read on the Irish Voice website? I guess I have been out of the loop for a long time.

This year's Wee Craic Fest, the highly anticipated one-night-only-event that is the smaller but no less substantial sibling of the annual Craic Fest, is scheduled for September 22. Expect a night of brilliant short films, world-class musical performances, and more than a little Irish American mayhem in support of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR). CAHIR O'DOHERTY hears about what to expect from festival manager Kadi Hughes.

Comedian Des Bishop will be in New York this weekend for a one night only show in support of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform at Rory Dolan's in Yonkers. An immigrant from the U.S.

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.

IRISH American supporters of Senator Hillary Clinton are hoping that Senator Barack Obama will place her on the ticket, and they want to see a far greater outreach to the Irish American community by Obama. In a widely reported move on Tuesday, Clinton told New York lawmakers that she is open to being Obama's running mate.Former Democratic Congressman Bruce Morrison, a long-time supporter of the Clintons told the Irish Voice, "Well it's never over till it's over, but obviously it's very close to being over.

Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowen and Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin will visit the UN on Thursday, September 26 to launch the Irish government's Hunger Task Force Report, a two year in the making independent report that outlines specific ways in which Ireland can help to reduce levels of hunger worldwide.

Cowen and Martin will be joined at the launch by UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon, along with other prominent members of the Hunger Task Force, including Irish aid agency Trocaire's director Justin Kilcullen, U2 front man and political activist Bono and Jeffrey Sachs, the Columbia University economist and author of the book "The End of Poverty."

On Monday, the Irish Minister for State and Overseas Development Peter Power spoke at the UN General Assembly, where he reiterated the government's commitment to the international fight against hunger.

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.

Why are so many Irish illegal? Have they stopped issuing visas? I applied for a green card in 1990 and we got it in 1992, and after five years we applied for citizenship. We were granted citizenship in 2003. What is going on with all of these stories of illegals that I read on the Irish Voice website? I guess I have been out of the loop for a long time.

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.

FORMER New York State Assemblyman John Dearie has called for a 2008 presidential forum which would involve the key contenders from both political parties for the presidency facing off before an Irish audience.

Dearie certainly knows the drill. He created the first presidential forum back in 1984 and has run the events in every presidential election since.

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.

TAOISEACH (Prime Minster) Bertie Ahern's comment on immigration reform in the U.S. to the Dail (Irish Parliament) last week was puzzling to say the least.

TAOISEACH (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern recently gave an interview to Irish television in which he talked about what a great honor it will be to give an address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress on April 30.

PERHAPS the most disappointing outcome of the current dispute between the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) and the Irish government is the fact that neither side will win in the end. The Irish government certainly will not. There is incontrovertible evidence that they backed a bilateral deal between the U.

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.

Ciaran Staunton, vice chairman of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, met with members of the Dail (Irish Parliament) in Dublin last week amid more bleak job news in Ireland. The rising number of layoffs in Ireland is driving hundreds of Irish jobseekers to the U.S.

The Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) is preparing its new campaign to lobby on behalf of the Irish undocumented in the U.S. in the weeks and months ahead.

NOW that he is the front-runner, the sudden rush to Senator John McCain's side in this year's Republican primary race is downright embarrassing.

At Grand Central Station in New York on Monday afternoon, the crush around the sometimes frail looking McCain was so intense that former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Governor George Pataki, Congress-man Pete King and former Senator Al D'Amato had to be practically pulled off the Arizona senator.

The gang of four was mouthing wonderful platitudes about McCain to beat the band.

THERE are times in your life in America when a sense of awe grips as you realize the sense of power this country can project. Such was the combined sense Ciaran Staunton, Kelly Fincham and myself, had as we slipped into the West Wing of the White House on a cold gloomy Friday afternoon last week.

We are the senior officials of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR), and we were there to meet Ed Gillespie, proud son of an Irish father from Donegal and President Geroge W.

THE continuing focus on the extent of Senator Hillary Clinton's contribution to the Irish peace process has overshadowed the reality that Senator Barack Obama, to put it charitably, has barely touched the subject and has seemed utterly disinterested during his term in the Senate.

There is word that both Clinton and Senator John McCain are now likely to take part in the Irish American Presidential Forum organized by former New York Assemblyman John Dearie, but that no word has yet been received from the Obama camp.

It seems a curious oversight given that Obama's handlers have been trying to make it abundantly clear that Clinton has been over-egging the pudding on her Irish experience, and that he is fully committed to an Irish policy also.

THE current standoff on the best way to pursue immigration reform between the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) and the Irish government does not benefit either side. Most of all, it does not benefit the undocumented who are depending on ILIR in the U.S.