Ahern to raise issue of illegals

Concerns about Irish immigrants living illegally in the US will be among the issues raised by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern when he meets President Bush at the White House on St Patrick's Day.

Mr Ahern also told the Dáil that Attorney General Rory Brady, who is in the US this week, would raise the issue "to make our position clear and to try to help the plight of Irish immigrants".

The Taoiseach said he had taken a very keen interest in the Kennedy legislation and had been supportive of it, adding: "There are a number of proposals on the matter, but we will raise it again this year and have done so through our ambassador and more recently through the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Brennan."

He was responding to Socialist TD Joe Higgins (Dublin West), who had asked if the Taoiseach would have any new proposals to put forward at his meeting with President Bush about the "tens of thousands of Irish citizens living clandestinely in the US".

Mr Higgins also asked if the Taoiseach would be wearing a bullet-proof vest at the White House. "Not content with slaughtering innocent Iraqis, Vice-President Cheney has turned his gun on a close friend whom he mistook for a duck. The Taoiseach should be careful over there," the Dublin West TD added.