Janet Napolitano outlines how a new US immigration Bill could be ready later this year, writes DEAGLAN de BREADUN
ALTHOUGH NOT aware of any Irish branches to her family tree, US secretary of homeland security, Janet Napolitano, has been a fairly frequent visitor to this country, starting in 1978 when she was a college student in London and she even did the James Joyce “Ulysses Walk” in Dublin in 1992.
She is back in Ireland to assess progress on the pre-clearance customs and luggage facilities which will make life easier for US passengers flying out from Shannon, but also to take part in celebrations in Limerick to mark the golden jubilee of Msgr Richard O’Keeffe, a friend who has spent most of his working life in Yuma, Arizona.
Before she was appointed to her present post by President Barack Obama last January, Ms Napolitano was governor of Arizona for six years from 2003. Indeed she was mentioned as a possible running mate for Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry in 2004 but he chose Senator John Edwards instead.
Now she heads the third-largest department in the US federal government, one that incorporates 22 agencies and has 210,000 employees. Its predecessor, the office of homeland security was famously established by then president George W Bush in response to the attacks of September 11th, 2001.
Asked about the danger of another 9/11 type attack, Ms Napolitano responds: “There will always be a threat. We’ve adjusted to the fact that what we need to do is minimise risk and be prepared to respond with resiliency should something materialise. But the threat never goes away now.”
Did she feel that President Obama’s more conciliatory and open-handed approach to the Muslim world, as seen in his Cairo speech of June 4th last had helped to reduce tension and therefore the threat-level?
“Well, I think the Cairo speech was important in many respects, but the threat level, like I said, never goes away and the issue of terrorism/counter-terrorism is a major part of my job, it’s why my department exists.”
She was speaking prior to a meeting yesterday morning with Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern where she expected it to be one of the topics: “I think there’s a recognition that we all have a stake in this. We’re all joined together.”
Another issue likely to surface was immigration, including the position of the undocumented Irish in the US.
“There’s a fair number actually, particularly in the New York area I gather. Enforcement of the immigration laws is in my department and, actually, I think one of the reasons the president asked me to take on this post was because of my experience as a border-state governor [Arizona borders Mexico] and prosecutor, and so, very experienced with some of the issues surrounding immigration.
“The president has asked me to lead the team working with the Congress to examine immigration reform in the United States. We had a meeting at the White House just last Thursday with about 30 members of the Congress and the president said publicly he would like to see if there could be a Bill ready by the end of the year or the beginning of 2010. It’s a very aggressive schedule, so, I take that as my direction and will work hard to achieve that.”
A previous joint effort by Senators Edward Kennedy and John McCain to bring about immigration reform was unsuccessful and Ms Napolitano says: “Some of the ideas in that legislation need to be brought forth again; others as well. But in the meantime, as I keep reminding people, we are enforcing the immigration laws. My department is a law-enforcement department, that’s our job and we will continue to do it, even as discussions are under way about how to amend the laws.”
Asked about the case of Pol Brennan from Belfast, who was one of the 38 escapees in the IRA break-out from the Maze Prison in 1983 and is now facing possible deportation from the US unless she grants him a waiver, she says: “Yes and that’s still in process, in other words that decision-memo has not come to me yet. But he’s still there.”
She is cautious in her comments on the controversy over alleged US “rendition” flights through Shannon and the continuing row over US troops using Shannon as a transit-point: “I know that Ireland has troops abroad as well, in some of these areas. I know that we appreciate our close relationship with Ireland and I think that will continue.”