Storm forces Taoiseach to cancel some engagements on US visit

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has been forced to cancel a number of engagements in Boston and Rhode Island due to adverse weather conditions sweeping across the United States.

The onset of Storm Stella meant that the Taoiseach and his officials travelled to Washington DC a day early by train on Tuesday. The storm also forced German Chancellor Angela Merkel to postpone her much-anticipated visit to the White House until Friday.

Mr Kenny had to miss a planned speech at the John F Kennedy presidential library in Boston, a business breakfast at Boston College and a meeting with Norwegian Airlines at Providence, Rhode Island to ensure his presence in Washington DC on Wednesday where he is due to attend a series of events over two days.

Speaking on Tuesday morning following a meeting with the Taoiseach the mayor of Boston said he would not support an immigration deal that would only benefit undocumented Irish immigrants. Mayor Marty Walsh said he “could not support something that just benefitted one country.”

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“I’m a proud son of Irish immigrants but I would not be supportive of rules and regulations that just benefit people who are just undocumented Irish,” he said.

“We need a comprehensive piece of legislation and we need some clarity for all immigrants, all undocumented immigrants.

“We are a multicultural city that is doing very well in terms of the economy. As the mayor of the city of Boston, I represent all of the people in our city.”

The Taoiseach said he did not agree with “blanket bans on immigrants coming into any country”.

He added: “Clearly, Ireland has had a very long engagement with the United States over the last 200 years and the contribution made by Irish immigrants and their descendants speak for themselves, but I think it’s important that , with respect to the situation you have now, with 11 million undocumented people living in the United States, what is needed here is a pathway to reform.”

Special dispensation

While the Taoiseach did not explicitly rule out seeking a special dispensation for Irish citizens, he said: “In the context of speaking to the president and others in Washington, what I do want to say is that we have had that long contribution, we are continuing to make that contribution and we want for those who are in this country who have made the decision to live in America, to work for America to raise their families in America, we need an opportunity for a path to legitimisation here.

“It is not just about the Irish. It is about our position as member of the European Union.”

He said the meetings due to take place between himself, President Donald Trump, Vice-president Mike Pence and house speaker Paul Ryan are “not about the Taoiseach or the president - it is about the offices and the correlations between the two countries”.

Mr Walsh, who has been a vociferous critic of Mr Trump’s immigration policies, denounced the president’s revised executive order on immigration which was issued last week and is due to come into effect on Thursday.

“The revised executive order was a minor change – one country was taken off the list – the fears in the city still exist. The painting of immigrants as criminals, the painting of Muslims as terrorists is still out there and has not softened at all.”

‘Sanctuary cities’

He defended the right of so-called “sanctuary cities” such as Boston, which have pledged to protect undocumented migrants, to oppose the president’s immigration policies.

“We are a sanctuary city, in the sense that we have the Trust Act and our police department will not be deputised to do the work of the federal authorities,” he said, referencing a 2014 Act which prohibits police from detaining people in connection with their immigration status unless they have a criminal warrant.

President Trump has threatened to withhold funding from sanctuary cities which refuse to abide by his measures on immigration.

Mr Walsh is a first-generation Irish-American whose parents emigrated from Galway in the 1950s. He is an Irish speaker and regular visitor to Ireland.

Mr Kenny is due to meet Mr Pence, Mr Trump and Mr Ryan at a series of events in Washington DC on Wednesday and Thursday.

He said the decision to hold a referendum on extending voting rights in presidential elections to Irish people living abroad was “a very significant statement indeed about the way we value what the Irish have done and are doing in so many countries around the world”.

The Taoiseach announced on Sunday that a referendum on the decision to extend such voting rights to Irish citizens abroad, which would also apply to Northern Ireland, will be held as early as next year.

Not on time

It would not come into force in time for next year’s presidential election, however.

The decision to hold a referendum builds on the findings of the convention on the Constitution in 2013, which recommended the Constitution be amended to provide for citizens resident outside the State, including Northern Ireland, to have the right to vote in presidential elections.

The Government will publish a paper by the end of the month setting out a range of options on how to give effect to the convention’s recommendations.

The issue will also be discussed at the Global Irish Civic Forum due to take place in Dublin in May.