Capitol Hill became a sea of green and white yesterday as thousands of undocumented Irish immigrants came out of the shadows to petition Congress for immigration reform.
Wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the words "Legalize the Irish", they came from Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco and many places in between, rising before dawn to travel to Washington in specially chartered buses.
They were rewarded with appearances from some of the most influential figures in Congress, including the two front-runners to succeed President Bush - Senators John McCain and Hillary Clinton.
"It is so heartening to see you here. You are really here on behalf of what America means, America's values, America's hopes," Ms Clinton said.
The rally was organised by the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, a three-month-old grassroots group that has transformed the campaign on behalf of Irish immigrants.
It came as a Senate committee started discussing plans for immigration reform, including a bill sponsored by Mr McCain and Senator Edward Kennedy that would give America's estimated 11 million illegal immigrants the chance to embark on a path to US citizenship.
Ms Clinton said the Irish should join with other immigrant groups to keep pressure on Congress to pass a bill that would strengthen border security but allow the undocumented to work legally in the US.
