Immigration debate, with an Irish spin =Sacra Bee

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/128979.html

Undocumented residents from Ireland will join D.C. rally in push for more work-based visas.

By Susan Ferriss - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Monday, February 26, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO-In a cozy room above a Russian market and a Shanghai-style restaurant, an Irish nanny gently rocked an American baby.

When the nanny reveals that she hails from the Emerald Isle, she said, American citizens are usually warm and welcoming and many speak proudly of their own Irish heritage.

They don't suspect her secret. They'd never imagine that the San Francisco nanny feels a special bond with millions of others, most from Latin America or Asia, who are illegal immigrants -- just as she is.

"The Irish are a bit luckier. We speak English, and we tend to get the better jobs," said the $17-an-hour, full-time nanny. She requested anonymity because she feared she and her 8-year-old son could be located and deported.

Next month, in what some call a critical turning point for their cause, the nanny and more than 150 other undocumented Irish and supporters from California will travel to Washington, D.C., to join a rally on March 7 outside Congress.

Donning "Legalize the Irish" T-shirts, they are expected to join thousands to lobby Congress for an increase in work-based immigrant visas and enactment of a program for undocumented workers to earn legal status. They have powerful allies on Capitol Hill, and they hope to woo more.

Once more numerous, undocumented Irish immigrants are today estimated at about 50,000 nationwide, a number that pales in comparison to Latin Americans, Chinese or Indians, but could be matched, for instance, by undocumented Polish immigrants.

A decline in Irish immigration in recent years is attributed to Ireland's unprecedented economic boom, the so-called "Celtic Tiger." The European Union has invested billions in grants to develop infrastructure, and the Irish embrace of the high-tech industry is fueling economic growth.

But some Irish arrived in America on tourist visas before the emergence of the Celtic Tiger, staying because they found plenty of work here. Also flocking to the United States are those from less-prosperous Northern Ireland.

As did generations of Irish before them, today's immigrants view the United States as an exceptional land of opportunity. But they've found that there is almost no way to immigrate legally today other than by marrying a U.S. citizen or a legal resident or winning a space in a visa lottery.

"I have about as much a chance at that as I do at winning the money lottery," said Rachel, another undocumented San Francisco nanny who works 50 hours a week. Out of concern for being discovered, Rachel asked that her last name not be revealed.

In 2005, out of a total of more than 1.1 million people who were granted legal residency, only 2,088 were Irish. Most were married to U.S. citizens or legal residents.

In a separate lottery competition that reserves 50,000 slots a year for people from around the world, only 160 slots were won by Irish in 2006. In San Francisco, more than 450 Irish vied for the lottery and lost, including the two nannies interviewed by The Bee.

Because of a dearth of paths to immigrate legally, the Irish have joined a coalition with Latinos, Asians, employers, unions and churches to lobby for more visas to fill job shortages.

More than 34 million Americans trace their ancestry to Ireland, a cultural bond the Irish believe can strengthen their case before the American public.

"Anybody with their faculties can see there are thousands of jobs to fill," said Niall O'Dowd, New York-based chairman of the nationwide Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform. Irish have found jobs in households, construction, the hospitality industry and in professional fields.

O'Dowd responded to the argument that illegal immigrants shouldn't be rewarded for illegal behavior. "We're not advocating illegal immigration. We're advocating legal immigration," O'Dowd said. "A lot of hatred has been spewed by the right. This is an issue affecting a lot of ethnic groups. This is about access to America."

Once subjected to intense discrimination themselves, the Irish can identify with other illegal immigrant groups who are offered work here but scorned as being too different to fit in, said Kelly Fincham, executive director of the Irish immigrant lobbying group.

"We were unwanted," Fincham said, "because we were funny, filthy and worshipped funny gods."

In the past, the Irish have successfully lobbied Congress to enact limited visa programs that benefited them and others.

Their movement resonates with Irish Americans. Chris Brown, a member of the cultural Shamrock Club of Sacramento said, "The club is willing to support Irish people as part of its mission." He would like to lobby to make sure the flow of Irish immigration continues.

The Irish are emboldened by encouragement from U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi , the new Democratic speaker of the House, who sent a representative and letter of support to a recent Irish event in her home district of San Francisco.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., two presidential hopefuls, showed up to personally show their support when Irish immigrants staged a rally a year ago in Washington.

Celine Kennelly, a director of the Irish Immigration Pastoral Center in San Francisco, said, "We're leveraging 200 years of political involvement in the United States. We have a voice that can cut across lines."

As for helping immigrants find positions, "We've never had a problem filling a nanny or an elder care job," said Kennelly, whose office makes job referrals and is one of a dozen such centers in U.S. cities with large Irish populations.

The undocumented nanny who earns $17 an hour said that when her employers put an ad on the craigslist Web site several years ago, only two people who were not illegal immigrants inquired.

Paul, an Irish illegal immigrant living in San Francisco for 10 years, will be among those rallying Congress next month. He left Ireland before the economic boom. Today, he runs his own licensed construction company and owns his own home in a country he praises for rewarding hard work.

Paul, who also asked that his last name be withheld, employs a dozen people -- some Americans, some Latino immigrants. He pays all taxes, and he's tried fruitlessly to find a way to become legal. With his driver's license soon to expire, he's desperate because new security laws make it difficult to renew. One of his own children, he added, doesn't even know she's not a U.S. citizen.

Said Paul: "Oh, Americans want immigrants, all right, whether it's the right way or the wrong way."

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