Chicago Immigrant Irish Support executive director welcomes Obama speech on immigration

The Executive Director of Chicago Irish Immigrant Support, Breandán Magee, has welcomed US President Barack Obama's speech on immigration reform, one that the Irish advocate says will offer the momentum required to pass new laws through Washington DC.

President Obama was speaking in Las Vegas on Tuesday afternoon and although brief mention was given to the 'Irish who left behind a land of famine' in the past, there couldn't have been more significance in the carefully chosen setting of his speech: the Del Sol High School, a majority-Hispanic school.

Image: Screengrab from CNN. 

However, Mr Magee dismissed any notion that the undocumented Irish would be left behind by any new legislation, pointing out that it was a victory for 'a broad coalition' of advocates.

'It's not a win-lose scenario,' he told WorldIrish when contacted not long after the president's speech had ended. 'We all win together. We have Koreans, eastern Europeans, people from Africa and Southeast Asia, we're a broad coalition.

Breandán Magee meeting with Taoiseach Enda Kenny. Image: CIIC.

'It was a powerful speech. We were waiting on the president to take a lead on this and he has come out strong. For the Irish undocumented and Irish students who would like to remain in the country after completing their studies, it is a good development. And also for the future flow of immigration of the Irish. There is not much detail yet on the E3 Immigrant Visas but I'm sure once the negotiations continue, that will become clearer.'

When asked for his opinion on how much time it would take to progress through the notoriously slow-moving DC legislative prices, Magee expressed optimism that the president's endorsement and the changing dynamic of US society would leave politicians with no choice but to reach an outcome soon. 

'It would be prudent for Congress to get this organized before August and before the debate begins to become contentious. Because then you're heading into the mid-term elections so it's in their best interest to prevent any backlash at the polls.

'Momentum has been building toads this for a while. Here in Illinois we have successfully pushed for legislation with Governor Pat Quinn to acquire driving licenses for the undocumented and that was finalised on Sunday - we're the fourth state to achieve that.'

Obama, himself a former Senator of Illinois had pledged as part of his inaugural address to make good on his push for immigration reform and the speech was seen as a challenge to Congress to act swiftly to put 11 million illegal immigrants on a clear path to citizenship.

He praised a bipartisan group of senators who proposed their own immigration overhaul on Monday, saying their plan was very much in line with his own proposals.

'The good news is that for the first time in many years, Republicans and Democrats seem ready to tackle this problem together,' he said.

'Unless you’re one of the first Americans, a Native American, you came from some place else, somebody brought you,' he added during the impassioned conclusion.

'The Irish who left behind a land of famine; the Germans who fled persecution; the Scandinavians who arrived eager to pioneer out west; the Polish, the Russians, the Italians, the Chinese, the Japanese, the West Indians -- the huddled masses who came through Ellis Island on one coast and Angel Island on the other.

'All those folks before they were us, they were them. And when each new wave of immigrants arrived, they faced resistance from those who were already here. They faced hardship. They faced racism. They faced ridicule. But over time, they went about their daily lives. They earned a living as they raised a family, as they built a community, as their kids went to school here.

'They did their part to build the nation.'