Micheál Martin says Taoiseach ‘did well’ in Washington on immigration

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has praised Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s speech on immigration in Washington and said he “did well” on his St Patrick’s week visit to the US.

Mr Martin said the Taoiseach’s remarks in Congress on immigration, in which he referred to St Patrick being an immigrant and the contribution of the Irish to America, were “particularly welcome and very appropriate”.

The Cork South-Central TD said the reality was “this is not an administration that accepts critical friendship, but Taoiseach you managed to uphold our own values while getting a message across and maintaining a deep relationship and continuing that relationship”.

He told Mr Kenny: “I think you did well in Washington, Taoiseach. You managed the situation well. It was difficult one and in overall national issue it was important that you made the visit and important that you conducted it in the manner that you did.”

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Media coverage

Solidarity TD Mick Barry referred however to Mr Kenny being "put out that the positive media coverage you received internationally for the speech you gave in President Trump's presence wasn't replicated in Ireland".

Mr Barry suggested that Channel 4, which used a video clip of his remarks, and the New York Times are not “too well acquainted with how your fine words in Washington square up to the reality in Ireland” and the manner in which undocumented immigrants are treated in Ireland.

“The reality is if St Patrick were to arrive in Ireland, depending on his country of origin, he could well find himself caught up in our inhumane and degrading and I would add racist, direct provision system,” he said.

“If he were an adult he would be permitted a pittance of €19.10 a week and €15.60 if he were a minor and would have a 40 per cent of languishing in this situation for five years and a 20 per cent chance of still being unregularised after seven years.”

Mr Barry suggested that the 5,000 people in direct provision in Ireland would be the equivalent of 300,000 in the US.

“The plight of 50,000 undocumented Irish in US is bad enough. Can you imagine what it would if the equivalent or greater amount of undocumented Irish were kept in the conditions migrants are kept in here on your watch?”

Direct provision

He said it would be “an act of infinitely greater significance” than the speech in Washington were direct provision to be ended. “By not ending direct provision and providing a scale of amnesty you correctly demand in the US you would be seen as two-faced and hypocritical by the 50,000 St Patricks in direct provision.”

The Taoiseach replied, however: “I’m not interested really in Deputy Barry’s comments except to say that Minister [of State David] Stanton has done a deal of work in respect of the McMahon report” on direct provision.

Mr Kenny said he had asked the Minister to “have a conversation in the House” when appropriate on the changes being made and “his unceasing efforts on direct provision”.

The Taoiseach said he had spoken directly to Mr Trump about the situation for undocumented Irish. “The president made the point that he wants to hear from the Democratic party about this issue.”

He added that Secretary of Homeland Security former general John F Kelly had "made it perfectly clear that the Irish who are undocumented who contribute to American society – they have to find a way as legislators to deal with that".