They manage companies. They tend the bars. They pay taxes. Although they are in the United States illegally, they are largely spared the examination of this label. But they always live in fear. These are the thousands of undocumented Irish immigrants in America today.
Recent estimates of the Irish government suggest that there are up to 10,000 undocumented Irish immigrants in the United States. Many live in the shadows for decades, waiting for a way to citizenship that would never come. And with a new president who promised to carry out the the largest deportation operation In the history of the United States, anxieties have been reinforced.
“It is certainly a concern, certainly a concern,” an undocumented Irish immigrant in New England in CBS. “I have heard of different people, you know, who find themselves in a stroke of undocumented people – some of them can be criminals, but some of them may not be, and it’s just a situation of being in the wrong place.”
Mary and other interviewees for this story, have asked that their complete names are not used to maintain their anonymity.
Irish privilege?
While Mary fears for her own status, she says that colored communities bear the weight of President Trump Immigration repression While it can fly a bit under the radar.
“There are very workers who have created companies and who employ people and all of a sudden, you know, they are on a plane somewhereTheir life has changed, and it’s very difficult, “she said.” I absolutely feel for people. “”
Aisling, an Irish -free Irish waitress in Chicago, who lives in America for eight years, says that although it concerns, it could become a target of “collateral damage” for the administration, Ice raids In his neighborhood, he predominantly targeted Latin American communities – which she condemned as a racist.
“If the ice was to go into my work, I could certainly blend with the crowd, but fear for me is to be arrested or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” she told CBS News.
CBS News has contacted the Ministry of Internal Security for comments on how ice leads its application operations and if the characterization that they specifically target Hispanic and Latin American communities is right.
Mick, who arrived in New York from Ireland in 2000, said that the public treatment of the Irish in the United States was in many ways in the opposite of what other nationalities are confronted. “I used to find it unfair enough to know how residents would talk about these immigrants who came here,” he said. “I should remind them, say:” Hey guys, I am an immigrant. “” The attitude, he said, was “yeah, but you are different. “”
Mick was undocumented during the first years he lived in the United States, but he is now a citizen and describes himself as a New York proud. He said there was now a “much wider fear” among immigrant communities during the second Trump administration.
“There are advice that is published online … so that people report companies if they suspect that there are undocumented workers who work. It is horrible. There is certainly a feeling here, which is new and not nice,” he said.
Ciara, who arrived in the United States before President Trump took office, said that she was on a J-1 visa, which allows educational and cultural exchanges, but working illegally on the side. “There is a little safety net” for the Irish in the hotel industry, she said.
“It is definitely a concern, but I think that I am certainly very privileged too. I am an Irish white girl with a third level [college] Education, so I think I am in a much safer position for many other undocumented people. “”
But immigration lawyers told CBS News that it would be naive for undocumented Irish people to believe that they could be immune to expulsion.
“When the Irish come here, they come to what we call the Visa renunciation program, which allows them to come to the United States without going to the consulate in Dublin, and they can come for 90 days and stay 90 days, and therefore most of them [who are undocumented] Overstay, “John Foley, an immigration lawyer based in Boston, told CBS News.
“The party of renunciation means that they renounce all rights of judicial treatment, which means that they can be abolished or expelled from the United States without going to a judge,” said Foley. “If you are an ice officer and you must have 40 people per week, it’s Thursday and you are at 27, you don’t care where the last 13 come from.”
Contribution to the American economy
Tom, owner of a New York bar and legal resident in Manhattan, told CBS News that he had employed many undocumented Irish workers as well as undocumented central and South American staff in his pub over the years. He says he could not operate as a business owner without them.
“I would say that 90% of restaurants and small businesses in this city would close if you removed the [undocumented] Immigrants, “said Tom.” People who want to do these jobs are people who do not have clear legal paths in America. “”
An estimate The American Immigration Council has shown that undocumented immigrants in America contributed to $ 75.6 billion in 2022. This included $ 29 billion in state and local taxes and $ 46.6 billion in federal taxes.
Aisling, in Chicago, says that her colleagues from the bar where she works are mainly undocumented.
“The company is counting on it, basically … people who apply for jobs here, they are not Americans who come and apply. They do not want to do these jobs,” she said.
Legal ways for undocumented immigrants are limited
Mary, in New England, arrived in the United States in 1999. During the 26th years she lived in America, she became owner of ownership and is independent. For 14 years, she has tried to obtain sponsorship for legal residence thanks to a legal petition from her brother, who is an American citizen. This process is still endlessly suspected in sight.
“There are not really any possibilities,” she said. “There is no way right now for me.”
This is a problem with many undocumented immigrants working in the United States today, where little Legal ways exist, and where they do, Massive backlogs And bureaucracy causes long -term delays.
A 2023 Policy analysis According to the conservative thinking group, the Cato Institute said that less than 1% of people who wish to travel permanently in the United States can do so legally.
A young Irishwoman who exceeded her waiver of the visa in New York and now works in a bar in Manhattan told CBS News that she just wanted to work, but the avenues are limited.
“I would prefer to be legal and have legal status, but it was difficult to get a visa, and I have the impression that now it is 10 times more difficult to consider trying to get a visa,” she said.
Mick, who finally obtained citizenship, said that he would support the amnesty for people without criminal convictions who live illegally in the United States and contribute to the communities.
“Many people who come to our countries and our coasts come here because of policies that we have made it possible to perform and who have benefited us for decades,” he said. “I have the impression that we should take care of people who need help most. And I have never met evil and bad people who Eat dogs and cats who came here legally or illegally. “”
An oval office meeting, with views in disagreement
When President Trump meets Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin on Wednesday, he will continue an annual tradition of the oval office in which the White House welcomes the Irish Taoiseach, or leader, to mark the festivities of Saint-Patrick.
Before this event, the White House shared familiar praise on the historic contribution of the island of Emerald in the United States.
“Americans of American origin have played a crucial role in our great American history – courageously overcoming adversity and the difficulties to encourage our culture, animate our mind and strengthen our way of life,” said Trump in a declaration Released by the White House while the president declared March as an Irish-American heritage month.
But in the middle of hand handles and clover, certain net differences on this issue may occur.
While Mr. Trump has committed to abolish millions of undocumented immigrants, the Irish government has for years for a comprehensive immigration reform which would offer legitimacy to undocumented Irish workers in the United States
