Four senior Fine Gael politicians will lobby US senators, members of congress and administration officials this week on behalf of tens of thousands of illegal Irish immigrants in the US whose position is to be regularised in forthcoming legislation.
In a separate visit Bishop Séamus Hegarty of Derry, the chairman of the Irish Bishops' Commission for Emigrants, will also visit the US this week as part of the bishops' "2005 Supporting Irish Abroad" (SIA) campaign.
They will visit Irish emigrant centres in Boston, New York and Philadelphia and on Friday Bishop Hegarty will be briefed by Mark Franken, director of the Migration and Refugee Service of the US Bishops' Conference, on its policy on immigrants.
Fine Gael's spokesman on emigrant affairs Paul Connaughton said yesterday that the illegal Irish feared that separate legislation currently before the US Congress could lead to their being deported before the forthcoming Kennedy-McCain legislation regularising their status was enacted.
The Kennedy-McCain Bill would give an amnesty to thousands of Irish working illegally in the US.
However, Irish people there fear that other legislation currently before congress may result in many deportations of Irish people before they can avail of the amnesty.
Mr Connaughton, who will lead the party delegation, said the Real ID Act "which hinders undocumented workers from renewing their driving licences, may lead to undocumented Irish being deported before any immigration legislation to regularise their status is enacted.
"Our main priority is to secure a firm commitment from political representatives in Washington that they will seek the best possible outcome for undocumented Irish from this legislation, without any penalties attached."
Dinny McGinley, the party spokesman on community, rural and Gaeltacht affairs, Simon Coveney MEP and Mayo TD Michael Ring will accompany Mr Connaughton.
They will meet congressmen Peter King and Stephen Lynch, former Democratic congressman Bruce Morrison, the EU ambassador in Washington and former taoiseach John Bruton, Ireland's Consul in New York Eugene Hutchinson, Irish immigrant support groups and US immigration attorneys.
"We will be urging these congressmen to lobby hard to ensure that undocumented workers who have worked hard in the States and have participated fully in their communities are given the chance to live without the constant fear of deportation and have the opportunity to regularise their status, without fear of being penalised for coming forward," said Mr Connaughton yesterday in a statement.
Bishop Hegarty said yesterday that the Irish bishops would "work with the Migration and Refugee Service of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops" to improve the plight of the undocumented Irish.