SF Irish Mobilize for Legalization of Immigrants

Angus McCarthy of the San Francisco Immigrants Rights Commission said “while some politicians would like to just fix the problem for the Irish, we are not accepting anything short of legalization for all immigrants.” There are around 50,000 undocumented Irish immigrants nationally, with about 2500 in San Francisco. And they do not fit the demographic one might expect.

Irish activists arrived in Washington D.C. from New York, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Cleveland and several other cities last week to demand legalization for the nation’s undocumented immigrants. Over 3,000 people affiliated wit the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) walked the halls of Congress dressed in green and white T-shirts with the slogan "Legalize The Irish", as they lobbied for comprehensive immigration reform.
Although immigration reform is commonly viewed as a Latino issue, America’s Irish community is up in arms over the failure of Congress and the President to act on legalization. Irish advocacy has proved instrumental to previous legalization efforts, and their support could help jump-start the current legislative process.

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