Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements
Dail Éireann — 2023-04-18
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Brendan Smith (FF), Cavan-Monaghan

I also welcome President Biden's successful visit and it was great to see the international media coverage throughout the three days.
I am glad that the Taoiseach outlined in his reply that he raised immigration reform with President Biden and in other fora when he was in the United States. It is extremely important that this issue is kept on the agenda in regard to the undocumented Irish. According to the embassy, consulates general and Irish immigration centres, it is estimated that 10,000-plus Irish people in the US do not have their status regularised. Those people experience huge problems in getting driver's licences, free legal advice or healthcare. The point was recently made to me by representatives of some of the immigration centres that prior to 9-11 some of the people who are regarded as undocumented used to be in a position to travel home irregularly.
That age group now cannot travel here. Their parents and siblings at home are getting older. The difficulties continue for those people. I ask the Taoiseach to please keep it on the agenda as a very important issue.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2023-04-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:51:46+00:00
Sitting date: 2023-04-18