A chara, – Enda Kenny’s remarks constituted a cringe-worthy, inappropriate lecture of a captive audience at an inappropriate time. Since the mere mention of “immigration” is highly politically charged and divisive in America, no American could possibly miss this.
Donald Trump should be commended for his equanimity, a quality that does not usually come to mind with respect to the American president.
Even if there are 50,000 Irish living illegally in America, which I personally doubt, they would represent fewer than one half of 1 per cent of the more than 11 million illegals living in the United States. Is it not obvious that it would be unwise for the United States to formulate a national policy to accommodate fewer than one half of 1 per cent of the problem?
Mr Kenny’s repugnant interference in internal American politics is misguided. Wasn’t it on his watch that young Irish people were leaving for Australia and other destinations by the hundreds or thousands each month, a phenomenon that has only recently diminished? How can recently multicultural Ireland welcome immigrants and those who claim to be refugees from hither and yon while turning their back on the Irish abroad? How about a special programme to welcome them back to Ireland?
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Instead of arguing for legalization of a supposedly 50,000 illegal Irish in America, and by extension all of the illegals in America, Mr Kenny should have worked in his time in office to create economic conditions in Ireland that would allow for the return of these Irish, so they could contribute to building Ireland. – Is mise,
MICHAEL G BRAUTIGAM,
Cincinnati,
Ohio.
Sir, – Why is Donald Trump not over here begging Enda Kenny for visas for his citizens? The answer is, most likely, that there are no American illegals in Ireland to worry about.
If so, why do our Irish leaders and voters not attempt to deconstruct, reverse-engineer, improve, adapt and transplant to Ireland whatever it is in the US (economy, standard of living, attitudes, education, etc) that creates the conditions necessary to motivate Irish people to up sticks and live in the US as illegals in the first place?
More to the point, what would it take in terms of a breakthrough 360-degree national strategy to reverse the flow? – Yours, etc,
GARRETT MARTIN
JOHNSTON,
Moscow.
Sir, – Enda Kenny deserves our thanks. The tenacity he displayed in his encounter with Donald Trump, given the sensitivity of the subject matter and and the potential response, was outstanding. – Yours, etc,
EDEL HURLEY,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – One of the criteria for legalising the undocumented Irish in the US might be confirmation that each individual had a history of paying their appropriate levels of state and federal taxes. I felt the case might best be put directly to President Trump. And then I thought, good luck with that. – Yours, etc,
PADDY GOGARTY,
Portmarnock, Co Dublin.
Sir, – Whatever happened to good manners? We want Donald Trump to show compassion toward the undocumented Irish in the US yet many of us cannot show any respect for either him or the office he holds. I, for one, welcome his intended visit and friendship, and I invite others to do so to. – Yours, etc,
WILLIAM SHORTLAND,
Blessington, Co Wicklow.
Sir, – Many Irish people when on holidays abroad offer invitations to their “new friends” to visit them back home in Ireland in the full knowledge that very few of them will ever take up the invitation. Perhaps it was in this spirit that the Taoiseach’s invitation to Mr Trump was made? – Yours, etc,
CHARLES DALY,
Dungarvan,
Co Waterford.