IRISH TURN OUT FOR BOSTON RALLY
By April Drew
IT was standing room only at Freeport Hall in Boston
on Wednesday night, December 13, as Irish American leaders gathered
at a rally hosted by the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR)
in support of the estimated 8,000 undocumented Irish immigrants
in Boston.
Over 700 people crowded in to rally for comprehensive immigration
reform, and more than 120 people signed up for the 2007 Irish
lobby day in Washington on Wednesday, March 7.
Wednesday’s rally included national organizations such
as the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the GAA, Irish American Democrats,
the Irish American Republicans, the Friends of Ireland, Federation
of Irish American Societies, Irish American business owners, immigration
centers, community leaders and professionals from across the spectrum
of Irish America.
Father John McCarthy of the Irish Pastoral Center stated that
the Irish community needed to get behind the drive to legalize
the Irish.
“We can do it,” he said. He gave two individual examples
of immigrants facing tough situations in Boston. “We need
to put all this behind us, we need as a community to work for
legalization like we never have before,” he added.
Hugh Meehan of the Boston ILIR and one of the evening's main
organizers thanked the record crowd for coming out in such numbers.
“You have sent a message tonight that we are not going to
settle for anything less than green cards. Together we can make
it happen,” he said.
Congressman Bruce Morrison, responsible for getting 48,000 Irish
green cards in the early 1990s, was also present to give words
of wisdom to the undocumented and their supporters.
“We are not going to be scared off and we are going to
get the result we want like a bill similar to the Kennedy/McCain
bill. Not in some future year but in this coming year 2007. You
(the undocumented) can do it and the lesson to take from the Donnelly
and Morrison visas is organizing, advocating and showing up,”
Morrison told the meeting.
Morrison explained that there is still a lot of people power
left in Washington.
“People don't show up in Washington anymore, they don't
put their bodies on the line to show people this isn't about a
piece of paper or a check, it's about human beings who have needs.
There was nothing more dramatic than the 3,000 of you who came
to Washington in the t-shirts showing the true face of Irish America
and Irish immigrants, people that they couldn't turn away, and
people in Washington were impressed,” Morrison said.
He continued to explain to an attentive audience that Congress
aren't going to turn their back on the heritage and the contribution
of the Irish community and the history of this country. “If
they do so then they better fear for their political lives, that's
the message we are giving,” said Morrison.
He said that part of this lobby campaign, aside from getting
the undocumented here green cards, is also about “allowing
people in Ireland to come here and put down their roots and make
a life here. He urged the participants to contact all their senators
and congressman to let them know “that you’re out
there and want legalization.”
Speakers at the rally blasted the “know nothing”
immigrant policies of presidential hopeful, Massachusetts Governor
Mitt Romney, who has introduced a law making it possible for state
troopers to pursue immigration arrests.
“The Irish community on the way out will trip up Romney,
they will put out their foot and trip him rightfully so. He is
for bigotry, anti human, anti you and me,” said Ciaran Staunton,
vice chairman of ILIR.
He also referred to Romney as a member of the broken wing of
the party. “You can't fly with a broken wing so Romney is
going nowhere.” Staunton informed his audience that “there
were Irish immigrants in Massachusetts before Romney and there
will be Irish immigrants in Massachusetts long after Romney.”
ILIR Chairman Niall O' Dowd reminded people that they must remain
hopeful and that everything is still to play for.
“We have the situation 100% better in Congress now than
we had this time last year. People said we never would get this
bill though the Senate, people said we would never get it through
the House and they were right unfortunately, but this year we
will get it through the House and you will make that happen,”
he stated.
He invited people back to Washington on March 7 where ILIR are
expecting 3,000 people to attend a monster rally.
“ We are working at our end of the pitch. The wind is behind
us. We are three points behind but the second half hasn't begun
yet,” said O'Dowd.
