The CIIC (Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers) made the following statement in response to the recent article on the situation of the Irish undocumented by Trina Vargo of the Ireland US Alliance.

The US immigration system undoubtedly needs to be fixed. It is not working for the 50,000 undocumented Irish immigrants in the US and it is not working for the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants from all over the world. We commend the work of the Irish government and other governments who have continued to highlight the major problems with this system and to fight for proper and fair treatment for all their citizens.

The negative and often vitriolic debate on immigration has hurt all immigrants so we have a responsibility to keep accuracy and civility in our conversations on this issue. The members of our Coalition are the Irish Centers across the US who work at the proverbial coal face. They meet undocumented immigrants every day and they know that the majority of those who come for help have been here for more than five years and that they came here because they were not beneficiaries of the “Celtic Tiger.” Some came to the United States long before the economy in Ireland really took off; others came from areas that were bypassed by the boom and from Northern Ireland where economic prosperity is still a dream for many.

When immigrants come for advice on how to regularize their status attorneys and counselors with expertise in immigration law are faced with the difficult task of telling them that there are few, if any, avenues to legalization even for those willing to do everything by the book. There are few visas and many obstacles for hardworking immigrants who want to come here to join family, friends or to take up employment. The days when you could get in line and apply for a visa to come to the United States have gone.

The reality for the many immigrants living, working and paying taxes here in the US is that they now constitute a large underclass who have few rights and limited access to basic services. They live in constant fear of being picked up and thrown in jail for months while Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) takes steps to deport them. With the extra funds allocated for enforcement in the past year we have seen an increase in detentions and deportations. Many of those serving time in jail have no legal representation. Most from Ireland have no right to plead their case before a judge and all are housed in jails with convicted criminals.

Last year in the push for comprehensive immigration reform the Irish community across the US united under the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform banner to call for immigration reform for everyone. We were very disappointed when it did not pass. We have not given up hope, we are continuing the fight and we invite anyone who believes in justice for immigrants to raise their voice against the injustice of the current system and to fight to make it better.