Standing Room Only in Boston

By John Black (The Irish Emigrant)

"You walked in here as undocumented, but you leave here as political activists."

More than anything else said during the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) meeting at Florian Hall last week, it was this statement by Chairman Niall O'Dowd that summed up the feelings generated during the two-hour town hall meeting.

A standing-room-only crowd of more than 1000 people packed the hall to hear the ILIR presentation on the Kennedy/McCain bill.

Rather than listen to a detailed description of the legislation, however (which can be found on the group's website www.irishlobbyusa.org), those attending the meeting heard a series of rousing speeches encouraging them to get involved in the political process so as not to have others make decisions for them that will determine their future.

"The people in here tonight have the will," said ILIR board member Ciaran Staunton, who was also a founding member of the Irish Immigration Reform Movement in Boston in the 1980s, "and I believe we have the way."

Formed just two months ago, the IRIL was set up to help organize people to effectively lobby the US Government to pass immigration legislation written by Senators Edward Kennedy and John McCain - the so-called Kennedy/McCain bill -- that would grant the undocumented a path to a green card while also bringing in new enforcement laws.

"Currently there are two paths open to undocumented people; you can stay put and continue to try and live a life under the radar or you can give up and go home," said ILIR Executive Director Kelly Fincham. "Those are not options. Those are forced positions. It is up to you to decide if you want to have your future decided behind some locked door down in Washington or if you want to have a voice in it."

The emotional highlight of the evening came from the speeches given by two women - Samantha and Mary - who spoke of the hardships they live through as undocumented residents of the United States.

"I love this country and I love living here," Samantha said, "but I'm living like a refugee in this country because my tourist visa expired and I have no other option available to me other than abandon the live I've built here and go back to Ireland. That's not an option to me."

Mary, who recently got her nursing license, lamented the fact that she could not use her education and expertise because of her status as an undocumented person. "It's like living in a virtual prison," she said. "I can't fulfill my life's dream of working as a nurse because if I do I risk being deported and having a 10 year ban placed on me."

Father John McCarthy of the Irish Pastoral Centre spoke movingly of the many undocumented people he sees during the course of a week, many of whom have fallen victim to the pressures of living a life in the shadows. "People are living in fear," he said.

"Fear of being picked up and put in jail, fear of being deported, and fear of not being able to go home to attend a loved one's funeral because if they do, they won't be able to come back to the life they've built here. And that fear is tearing them apart."

There was more to the meeting than rhetoric and stories, however, The ILIR members made sure everybody attending the rally walked out of Florian Hall armed with the information they needed to contact their representatives in Washington to tell them how important passage of the Kennedy/McCain bill was to them.

They also announced plans for a bus trip to Washington, DC on March 8 to rally for passage of the legislation. (Complete details on contacting government representatives, the bus trip and on the upcoming ILIR meetings is available at www.irishlobbyusa.org)

"A green card is not just going to be handed to you in a golden envelope," O'Dowd said. "You will have to work for it by fighting to have the immigration laws of this country changed. You have the power to do that. Use it."