Undocumented Irish in the USA
Dail Éireann — 2022-03-24
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Denis Naughten (IND), Roscommon-Galway

The Minister is correct. It is not just about focusing on the executive branch of government in the United States. The House of Representatives and the Senate are very important in this. The previous Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, appointed the former Deputy John Deasy as a special envoy to the US Congress to work on the issue of the undocumented. He worked very closely with the Minister. He worked very closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin and our mission in Washington to prioritise the passage of the E3 visa Bill. Should we look at appointing a special envoy specifically for this role again? This person would engage on Capitol Hill with the Senate and the House of Representatives to help progress the legislation. It will require a very co-ordinated and strategic approach. Would it be better to have a politician on the ground liaising on it?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2022-03-24/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:50:17+00:00
Sitting date: 2022-03-24