The approval of an immigration reform bill by the US Senate was "another step closer" to allowing the undocumented Irish to "emerge from the shadows", Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has said.
Mr Gilmore “strongly welcomed” the most significant overhaul of US immigration laws in a generation with broad bipartisan support, sending the bill to the Republican-controlled House,
Mr Gilmore welcomed the “ considerable bi-partisan support” that emerged for the bill and hoped it “bodes well for its further prospects”. The focus shifts to the US House of Representatives where there is significant opposition from conservative members and where the fight could extend into 2014.
Provisions in the bill address the concerns of undocumented and " the specific E3 provisions for Ireland that provide a legal pathway for the future," he said.
It includes provisions to allow for the continuation of the J1 summer visa programme “that has meant so much to successive generations of young Irish people,” he said.
Mr Gilmore said he would travel to Washington DC over the coming weeks to consult directly "with our friends and key contacts on Capitol Hill about the issues involved."
But given the strong 68-32 vote, with 14 Republicans voting in favour, the Democratic leadership and the bipartisan group of eight senators who drafted the original bill seemed determined to savour the moment.
The Senate bill provides a 13-year path to citizenship for the 11 million unauthorised immigrants in the country, as well as tough border security provisions that must be in place before the immigrants can gain legal status.
The legislation’s chief provisions includes numerous steps to prevent future illegal immigration — some added in a late compromise that boosted Republican support for the bill — and to check on the legal status of job applicants already living in the US.
As the bill heads to the House, Republican elites and their well-financed pro- immigration groups are running up against opposition from the chamber’s most conservative members.
House speaker John A. Boehner threw cold water on any hope that the House would vote on the Senate plan, and he insisted that whatever immigration measure his chamber took up would have to be supported by a majority of his Republican conference.
In a written statement, US president Barack Obama coupled praise for the senate's action with a plea for resolve by supporters as the house works on the issue. "Now is the time when opponents will try their hardest to pull this bipartisan effort apart so they can stop commonsense reform from becoming a reality. We cannot let that happen," said Mr Obama.
Additional reporting AP/NYT