Enda Kenny, the Prime Minister of Ireland, has promised to press US President Donald Trump on what type of future faces thousands of undocumented Irish immigrants who currently live in the US. Kenny says that undocumented Irish immigrants want to be allowed to stay in the US and to contribute to its economy and culture.
Kenny made the comments at the start of his annual St Patrick’s Day visit, in Philadelphia. Kenny said the plight of such immigrants was going to be one of his major priorities during his week-long trip. His attempts to lobby President Trump on the issue is likely to draw a considerable degree of interest from other parties, given the global focus on the President’s controversial policies on immigration.
At a dinner event for Irish-Americans, Kenny went on to say that he intended to refocus on the already strong case for undocumented Irish immigrants, who have spent too long in the shadows, to be allowed to stay in the US. He called them hard-working taxpayers whose only desire is to be able to give their contribution to the country.
Kenny added that while he understands immigration is a highly sensitive political issue, he believes that the needs of undocumented Irish immigrants must be addressed by the US immigration system. He said that doing so would be of enormous benefit to the US as well as to the immigrants. Kenny will be in the US until Friday.