Your help on Comprehensive Immigration Reform is still needed. Sincere thanks to the many Hibernian Brothers and Sisters who have already made calls to their Congressional Representatives on Comprehensive Immigration Reform. If you have yet to make the call, here are the simple, yet important, steps:
1) Please call your member of the House of Representatives today. The number for the Congressional Switchboard is (202) 224-3121.
2) Give your zip code when requested and ask to speak to your Congressman’s Office.
3) When directed to that Office, ask to speak to the Legislation Officer or Immigration Liaison for your Representative. If they are available, let them know that (a) You support Comprehensive Immigration Reform as a voter, who is Catholic, Irish American, and a Hibernian; (b) and “If Irish America feels that Comprehensive Immigration Reform is good for Irish America, it is good for the rest of Americans too!”
4) If they aren’t available, ask to leave a message stating: ”I would like to hear from my Representative, your Chief of Staff or the Representative’s Immigration person as soon as possible.”
5) If your Representative indicates to you their support for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, THANK THEM! If your Representative indicates opposition, ask them to reconsider that position and thank them for their time.
6) In conjunction with your call, please send a copy of the letter elsewhere on this page in the Digest from our National President to the Representative, along with your own message as a constituent.
This issue remains crucial and requires action of every Hibernian. Since 1965, Irish people have struggled to come to the US. Nearly 50,000 Irish people, many with American-born families, have been unable to share great moments of joy, weddings, births and graduations, or great sadness, like illness or the burial of a loved one, with their families in Ireland. Most of us know our Irish undocumented. They live in and are active members of our communities. They pay their taxes, support our Catholic Churches and schools and work hard in their adopted land. We may never get a better opportunity to correct the lack of legal paths to immigration for Irish people than we have now. If we are not part of the equation, we may have to wait another 20 years for a voice in the immigration reform process. I will be happy to provide you with any supporting information that you require.
I have spent the summer speaking to Hibernians and working with our Irish Coalition partners, the Chicago Celts for Immigration Reform, the Embassy of Ireland and Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, along with members of our Irish Catholic Clergy and lobbyists Manus Cooney and Bruce Morrison to reach as many Congressmen as possible. Thanks to Geri Garvey from the Irish Apostolate USA www.usairish.org for her generosity in sharing ways that we can improve outreach on this issue and both Catholics and Irish Americans.
Please continue to support the affiliated Irish Immigration Centers of the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers www.ciic-usa.org by making a personal or Division donation, volunteering at your local Center or by attending their fundraisers. The work that they do for our Irish Seniors, young families and Irish immigrants is much needed. When Comprehensive Immigration Reform finally passes Congress, the Irish Immigration Centers will be on the front lines of guiding future Irish Americans.
