Let
Debbie McGoldrick
www.irishabroad.com
Feb 22, 2007
SENATOR John McCain electrified an audience of more than 2,000 at an Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) town hall meeting in the Bronx last Friday, and expressed a strong belief that Congress will soon find common ground on a way to legalize a majority of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
McCain, the Arizona Republican who is working in tandem with Democratic colleague Senator Edward Kennedy to win approval for a strong version of their McCain/ Kennedy reform bill in the Senate this week, also stressed that the recent pro-immigration rallies in the U.S. are having a significant impact on the shape of the debate on Capitol Hill.
“With the kind of demonstrations taking place across America I think we will have a bill for President Bush to sign very soon,” McCain said to wild rounds of applause at St. Barnabas church in the Irish enclave of Woodlawn. “The American people are yearning for those of us in Washington to reach across the aisle and act in the best interests of the nation on this issue, instead of fighting about it.
The McCain meeting was another triumphant outing for ILIR and its committed, thousands-strong membership, many of whom were wearing the group’s “Legalize the Irish” t-shirts on the night.
Formed four months ago by Irish Voice publisher Niall O’Dowd and community activist Ciaran Staunton, ILIR’s impact on the national immigration debate has been substantial, a fact that McCain acknow-ledged during his speech.
“So many of you have taken so much time and effort, including the 3,000 of you who traveled to Washington, D.C. last month, and you are being heard,” McCain said, referring to the ILIR rally on Capitol Hill on March 8. McCain spoke at the event, and was so impressed by the group’s efforts that his staffers immediately contacted ILIR to arrange a meeting in the Bronx.
The senator entered St. Barnabas to the theme music from the film Rocky, and the crowd was pumped, giving him a boisterous standing ovation that lasted several minutes and also included chants of “Ole, Ole, Ole” and the Irish signature song, “The Fields of Athenry.”
McCain’s words of hope were music to the ears of those in attendance, many of whom stand to benefit from the temporary worker provision in the McCain/Kennedy bill that would grant legal status to qualified undocumented in the U.S. prior to January of 2004. The bill will likely be voted on by the full Senate at the end of this week, and if approved will have to be reconciled with a House measure that deals only with border enforcement and increased security.
The Senate is leaning towards approval of a temporary worker program, and McCain said he is determined to protect its inclusion when the House/Senate conference on the issue commences after the Senate vote.
“Both parties will be at the conference, but Senator Kennedy and I worry about these things,” he said. “Strange things can sometimes happen at conference. We might insist that it be an open conference so that all the deliberations are known.”
A front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008, McCain had words of praise for President George W. Bush, who has forcefully expressed his desire for Congress to offer legal status to qualified undocumented workers.
One of the questions McCain fielded after his remarks came from a man who asked if President Bush had spent all his political capital on the war in Iraq, thus making his thoughts on immigration reform irrelevant.
“I think he has capital left,” McCain replied. “President Bush was governor of the state of Texas and he is familiar with this issue. There is a segment (in Washington) that is opposed to reform. He is not, and he is standing up for it.”
The efforts to block the creation of a guest worker program for the undocumented in favor of border and security measures only are being spearheaded primarily by members of McCain’s Republican Party in both the House and Senate. He admitted the difference of opinion in the GOP is strong.
“I’m concerned about the future of the Republican Party, but I’m more concerned about the future of the nation, and what kind of a nation we are going to be,” McCain said.
“I think we’re going through a great debate in the party. But I think we can build consensus on this issue. The wind is at our backs. I’m optimistic. I encourage discussion in any party.”
